Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2011 Jan;4(1):128-9.
doi: 10.4103/0974-2700.76821.

Gastrothorax or tension pneumothorax: A diagnostic dilemma

Sarvesh P Singh  1 , Subin Sukesan, Usha Kiran, Neeti Makhija
Affiliations
Case Reports

Gastrothorax or tension pneumothorax: A diagnostic dilemma

Sarvesh P Singh et al. J Emerg Trauma Shock. 2011 Jan.

Abstract

Gastrothorax, a rare complication following thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair, is reported. The clinical features of a gastrothorax and tension pneumothorax are similar and thus, a gastrothorax can masquerade as a tension pneumothorax. The diagnosis is made by a high level of clinical suspicion, chest X-ray shows a distended stomach with air fluid levels and a computerised tomography is useful in assessing the diaphragm and establishing the positions of the various intra-abdominal organs. Also, the risk of an intercostal drainage tube placement and the role of nasogastric tube in avoiding the development of a tension gastrothorax is highlighted.

Keywords: Gastrothorax; diagnostic dilemma; pneumothorax; tension.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Chest X-ray showing a distended stomach in left hemithorax and contralateral mediastinal shift. Left lung is compressed
Figure 2
Figure 2
Fluoroscopy image revealing the tip of nasogastric tube in the left hemithorax
Figure 3
Figure 3
Surgical repair of diaphragm using a polytetrafluoroethylene patch (Gortex patch) and prolene mesh
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Etz CD, Luozzo GD, Bello R, Luehr M, Khan MZ, Bodian CA, et al. Pulmonary complications after descending thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair: Predictors, prevention, and treatment. Ann Thorac Surg. 2007;83:S870–876. - PubMed
    1. Talley NJ, Phung N, Kalantar JS. Indigestion: When is it functional? BMJ. 2001;323:1294–7. - PMC - PubMed
    1. De Jager CP, Trof RJ. Images in clinical medicine: Gastrothorax simulating acute tension pneumothorax. N Engl J Med. 2004;351:e5. - PubMed
    1. Van Berkel-Mijnsbergen JY, Loosveld OJ, Vos LD. Abdominal pain with unexpected pulmonary consequences: Diagnosis: Tension gastrothorax. Neth J Med. 2007;65:218–20. - PubMed
    1. Mortelmans LJ, Jutten GC, Coene L. Acute post-traumatic tension gastrothorax a tension pneumothorax-like injury. Eur J Emerg Med. 2003;10:344–6. - PubMed

Publication types