CASE 543 Published on 24.10.2000

Blunt traumatic sternal and chondrosternal fractures

Section

Chest imaging

Case Type

Clinical Cases

Authors

M. Wintermark, P. Schnyder

Patient

64 years, male

Categories
No Area of Interest ; Imaging Technique CT
Clinical History
Head-on car crash
Imaging Findings
Belted 64-year-old male driver involved in a head-on car accident
Discussion
Fractures of the sternum are encountered in up to 4% of blunt chest trauma patients, as part of steering-wheel or seatbelt syndromes. Most often tranverse, they may involve the sternal body (70%) or the manubrio-sternal joint (18%). Dislocation of rib cartilages from the sternum are sometimes met, especially in children. When sternal fractures are associated with costo-chondral dislocations or rib fractures, they may lead to an anterior or lateral flail chest.
Differential Diagnosis List
Blunt traumatic sternal and chondrosternal fractures as part of a seatbelt syndrome
Final Diagnosis
Blunt traumatic sternal and chondrosternal fractures as part of a seatbelt syndrome
Case information
URL: https://eurorad.org/case/543
DOI: 10.1594/EURORAD/CASE.543
ISSN: 1563-4086