Pneumothorax (ultrasound)

Case contributed by Maulik S Patel
Diagnosis certain

Presentation

A case of road traffic accident. Left-sided chest wall trauma. Complaining of breathing difficulty.

Patient Data

Age: 35 years
Gender: Male
ultrasound

M mode ultrasound shows, normal lung sliding on right side resulting in a seashore sign / beach wave sign. There is left-sided pneumothorax resulting in barcode/stratosphere sign. Lung point could not be localized.

Case Discussion

A young male with left-sided chest wall trauma complained of difficulty in breathing. Radiography revealed left-sided rib fracture ( not uploaded, no copyright ). Ultrasound was requested to check for hemothorax. Grayscale M mode ultrasound shows left-sided pneumothorax in a supine position. There is normal lung sliding on the right side. There was no hemothorax on the left side.

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