title: Chest computed tomography with multiplanar reformatted images for diagnosing traumatic bronchial rupture: a case report.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Unnoticed bronchial injury during the early stage of resuscitation of multiple trauma is not rare and increases mortality and morbidity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three-dimensional reconstruction of the airways using a workstation connected to a multidetector chest computed tomography (CT) scanner may change the diagnostic strategy in patients with blunt chest trauma with clinical signs evocative of bronchial rupture.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In this case report of a young motor biker, a complete disruption of the intermediary trunk was first misdiagnosed using standard chest helical CT and bronchoscopy. Postprocessing procedures including three-dimensional extraction of the tracheobronchial tree were determinants for establishing the diagnosis, and emergent surgical repair was successfully performed. Follow-up using CT with three-dimensional reconstructions evidenced a bronchial stenosis located at the site of the rupture.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study demonstrates the potential interest of performing three-dimensional reconstructions by extraction of the tracheal-bronchial tree in patients with severe blunt chest trauma suspected of bronchial rupture.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, La Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, University Pierre et Marie Curie Paris-6, France. morgan.le-guen@psl.aphp.fr
authors.forename: Morgan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Le Guen
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Beigelman
authors.forename: Belaid
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bouhemad
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wenjïe
authors.forename: Frederic
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Marmion
authors.forename: Jean-Jacques
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Rouby
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001980:Bronchi / Q000293:injuries* / Q000601:surgery; D001995:Bronchography / Q000379:methods*; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D006801:Humans; D011857:Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D012421:Rupture / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome