Abstract
We report herein the cases of two patients who suffered traumatic tracheal disruption, both of whom under-went successful surgical treatment. The first patient was a 48-year-old truck driver who suffered severe dyspnea after jamming his neck in a truck door. An endotracheal tube was unable to be inserted due to bleeding and thus, an emergency tracheostomy was performed. On admission massive subcutaneous emphysema was noted in the neck and anterior chest, and tracheal disruption was confirmed by a lateral neck X-ray, computed tomography (CT), and fiberscopy. An emergency end-to-end anastomosis of the trachea with insertion of a T-type silicon tube into the lower trachea was performed. The second patient was a 36-year-old man who suffered severe dyspnea after having his neck caught in a chain while driving a motorcycle. On admission, marked subcutaneous emphysema in the neck and paradoxical movement of the trachea were noted. Tracheal disruption was confirmed by a lateral neck X-ray and CT, and a similar operation to that of the first patient was performed. This type of injury is rare; however, lateral neck X-ray, CT, and fiberscopy proved extremely useful for making an accurate diagnosis following which successful emergency surgery was able to be performed, achieving good long-term results.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Symbas PN, Hatcher JR, Vlasis SE (1982) Bullet wounds of the trachea. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 83:235–238
Mulder DS (1969) Fiberoptic bronchoscopy. J Trauma 9:359–402
Mathieson DJ, Grillo H (1987) Laryngotracheal trauma. Ann Thorac Surg 43:254–262
Jemmerer WT, Eckert WG, Gathright JB (1961) Patterns of thoracic injuries in fatal traffic accidents. J Trauma 1:595
Mulder DS, Barkun JS (1991) Injury to the trachea, bronchus, and esophagus. In: Moore EE, Mattox KL, Feliciano DV (eds) Trauma, 2nd edn. Appleton and Lange, East Norwalk, pp 343–355
Mackersie R, Schackford SR, Hoyt DB (1987) Continuous epidural fentanyl anaesthesia: Ventilatory function improvement with routine use in treatment of blunt chest injury. J Trauma 27:1207–1212
Peece GP, Shatney GH (1988) Blunt injuries of the cervical trachea: Review of 51 patients. South Med J 81:1542–1548
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Asai, Y., Kaneko, M., Imaizumi, H. et al. Traumatic cervical tracheal disruption: Report of two cases. Surg Today 26, 353–356 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00311606
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00311606