title: Fracture of the first rib as a complication of midline sternotomy.
abstract: Fracture of the first rib occurred in six patients after cardiac surgery through a midline sternotomy. Two of the fractures could not be seen on the chest films and were demonstrated only on oblique radiographs of the cervical spine. Symptoms simulating myocardial infarction and/or pulmonary embolism were present in three of the six cases. In a review of 50 randomly selected cases of midline sternotomy, first-rib fractures were found in 3(6%).
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011859:Radiography; D012253:Rib Fractures / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D013249:Sternum / Q000601:surgery*