[Errors and difficulties in emergency x-ray diagnosis of traumatic ruptures of the diaphragm]

A clinical and x-ray analysis of 30 cases with closed ruptures of the diaphragm and concomitant injuries is presented. Some aspects in the methodology of x-ray examination of patients with grave combined injuries are discussed and the importance of early contrast examination of the gastrointestinal tract emphasized. The author analyzes the difficulties associated with and errors occurring in x-ray examination. Some errors may be due to inappropriate timing of x-ray contrast examination. Rupture of the diaphragm may have no clear-cut x-ray signs in the first hours of the injury because of hemothorax, but a dynamic x-ray monitoring helps timely diagnose it.