Fallen lung sign in a traumatic partial bronchial tear: A case report

Abstract

The fallen lung sign describes the lung collapse at the dependent region away from the hilum. It is usually a specific sign for complete bronchial tear. We present a case of a young patient post mechanical ventilation for a traumatic head injury with unexpected CT thorax findings of fallen lung secondary to a partial bronchial tear. The patient was managed conservatively with specific ventilator strategy and successfully discharged home. Partial bronchial tear with fallen sign is a very rare cases reported.

Keywords

• Bronchial tear
• Fallen lung sign
• Trauma