Traumatic pulmonary pseudocysts: CT findings

J Thorac Imaging. 2007 Aug;22(3):247-51. doi: 10.1097/RTI.0b013e3180413e2a.

Abstract

Traumatic pulmonary pseudocyst constitutes an uncommon, though well recognized, manifestation of closed chest trauma. It is usually encountered in young patients, whose compliant chest wall permits the transmission of great compressive forces to the lung parenchyma and the laceration of the latter. Traumatic pulmonary pseudocyst is usually detected during the imaging evaluation of multi-injured patients with the use of computed tomography, as it is often not apparent in the initial supine anteroposterior chest radiographs. We present 5 cases of trauma patients, in whom we detected the presence of multiple traumatic pulmonary pseudocysts during the imaging evaluation of blunt chest trauma with the use of computed tomography.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Cysts / diagnostic imaging*
  • Cysts / etiology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Lung / diagnostic imaging
  • Lung Injury*
  • Male
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Thoracic Injuries / complications
  • Thoracic Injuries / diagnostic imaging*
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed*
  • Wounds, Nonpenetrating / complications
  • Wounds, Nonpenetrating / diagnostic imaging*