Large Traumatic Pneumatocele in a 2-Year-Old Child

Traumatic pneumatoceles are a rare complication of blunt chest trauma in children. Although they characteristically present as small, regular shaped lesions which can be safely treated nonoperatively, larger traumatic pneumatoceles pose diagnostic and management difficulties for clinicians. This cas...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: N. K. Cheung, A. James, R. Kumar
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2013-01-01
Series:Case Reports in Pediatrics
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/940189
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Summary:Traumatic pneumatoceles are a rare complication of blunt chest trauma in children. Although they characteristically present as small, regular shaped lesions which can be safely treated nonoperatively, larger traumatic pneumatoceles pose diagnostic and management difficulties for clinicians. This case study reports one of the largest traumatic pneumatoceles reported to date in the paediatric population, which resulted in aggressive surgical intervention for both diagnostic and treatment reasons. This case adds further evidence to the current literature that significantly large traumatic pneumatoceles with failure of initial conservative management warrant surgical exploration and management to optimise recovery and prevent complications.
ISSN:2090-6803
2090-6811