[The treatment of tracheobronchial ruptures: a review of 6 cases]

Tracheobronchial ruptures represent a serious pathology difficult to diagnose at the first examination. The authors review 6 cases: four as acute types with pneumomediastinum, pneumothorax and subcutaneous emphysema with a delay in diagnosis of 3.25 days, meanwhile 2 cases were chronic forms with a delay in diagnosis of 124.5 days. Diagnosis should be performed as soon as possible based in the presence of uni or bilateral pneumothorax with pneumomediastinum being confirmed by fiber bronchoscopy. The treatment is based in the resection of the fractured fragments, followed by bronchoplasty always with reabsorbable sutures the most frequent surgical technique, meanwhile in the atelectatic forms it is not possible to perform sometimes and we must practise lung resections.