What's the most likely diagnosis?
- 24 year-old in motor vehicle rollover accident
Frontal Supine Chest Radiograph
- Pneumonia
- Clavicular fracture
- Pulmonary embolism
- Flail chest
- Mitral stenosis
Additional Image - Axial CT of upper left thorax
Additional Image
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Axial CT image of upper left thorax
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Answer:
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4. Flail Chest
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More (Click Discussion Tab)
Flail Chest
General Considerations
- Segment of thoracic cage is separated from remainder of chest wall by significant blunt chest trauma
- Relatively uncommon, but potentially life-threatening
- Definition varies from two fractures per rib for two contiguous ribs to two fractures per rib for three contiguous ribs
- Sternum may also be involved with ribs on both sides of chest
- Severity of underlying lung and cardiac injury are clinically more important than fractures themselves
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