Published in:
01-05-2015 | Case Report
An unusual case of thoracic impalement injury with severe pleural adhesion
Authors:
Tetsuya Yokosuka, Toshiko Kobayashi, Michimasa Fujiogi, Masayo Kawakami, Masamichi Yasuno
Published in:
General Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
|
Issue 5/2015
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Abstract
Thoracic impalement injury is an uncommon form of trauma. In the present report, we describe the case of a 78-year-old man who was injured by 2 metal rods. We decided to remove the rod on the right side by performing video-assisted thoracic surgery. However, during this procedure, total pleural adhesion was identified. Therefore, a mini-thoracotomy was performed and the rod was removed safely; the patient’s postoperative course was uneventful. The rod on the left side did not pass through the thoracic cavity. There are only a few reports of thoracic impalement injury in literature, and cases with total pleural adhesion are very rare. Careful preoperative planning and a multidisciplinary approach are essential for managing this type of injury.