title: Traumatic pericardial rupture with cardiac herniation.
abstract: If undiagnosed, traumatic pericardial rupture with herniation of the heart may have fatal consequences. We report two cases of multiple trauma with pericardial rupture, which was missed in the preoperative diagnoses of both patients, in spite of suggestive signs on computed tomographic scans. One patient had unexplained, persistent hemodynamic instability; the second patient had cardiac arrest during laparotomy for minor hepatic laceration. In both, the left-sided rupture of the pericardium with cardiac herniation into the pleural space was found and corrected in an emergency intervention. Both patients recovered completely.
authors.affiliation: Division of Thoracic and Hyperbaric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria. jo.lindenmann@medunigraz.at
authors.forename: Joerg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lindenmann
authors.forename: Veronika
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Matzi
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Neuboeck
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Porubsky
authors.forename: Beatrice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ratzenhofer
authors.forename: Alfred
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maier
authors.forename: Freyja-Maria
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Smolle-Juettner
mesh_terms: D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D006547:Hernia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010496:Pericardium / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000293:injuries*; D011859:Radiography; D012421:Rupture / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging