title: A patient with trauma having cavitary pulmonary nodules: should further workup be pursued?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Traumatic pulmonary pseudocysts (TPPs) are rare sequelae of blunt chest trauma and may be incidentally visualized on initial, or subsequent, chest imaging.
  
  
  METHODS
  We present the case of a 37-year-old male with no past medical history, who was recently hospitalized in the intensive care unit after a motor vehicle accident and referred to our institution for a traumatic cataract repair. His preoperative chest radiograph revealed multiple left-sided pulmonary nodules that were confirmed on thoracic computed tomography (CT) and noted to be cavitary. Comparison of the films to prior imaging, negative infectious workup, and absence of any symptoms led to the diagnosis of TPPs. Follow-up imaging showed complete resolution of the lesions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The TPPs may be discovered on imaging shortly after blunt chest trauma and, in asymptomatic individuals, can often be monitored with observation and serial imaging.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary/Critical Care, Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Sylmar, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Dharmi
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary/Critical Care, Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Sylmar, CA, USA kamangar@ucla.edu.
authors.forename: Nader
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kamangar
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D000328:Adult; D003560:Cysts / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D055370:Lung Injury / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D013898:Thoracic Injuries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014949:Wounds, Nonpenetrating / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*
keywords: blunt trauma; cavitary; pseudocyst; pulmonary