THE ROLE OF MULTISLICE COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY IN THE EMERGENCY DIAGNOSIS OF THE TRACHEOBRONCHIAL INJURY AFTER ENDOTRACHEAL INTUBATION - CASE REPORT

Abstract

Tracheobronchial injury (TBI) is a rare complication occurring after endotracheal intubation. Treatment can be conservative for small lesions and when the patient’s condition is stable, or surgical for bigger lesions and when pneumomediastinum and/or subcutaneous emphysema threaten the patient’s life. Total thyroidectomy was performed in a 60-year-old woman with multinodular goiter. Ten hours after surgery, subcutaneous emphysema of the face and neck developed. A cervical and thoracic multislice computed tomography (MSCT) confirmed subcutaneous emphysema, pneumomediastinum, and posterior wall tracheal rupture 2cm in size. The patient was treated conservatively. The MSCT imaging can be a useful method for diagnosing the location and form of tracheal injury in hemodynamically stable patients.

Keywords

• multislice computed tomography
• endotracheal intubation
• tracheobronchial lacerations