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Case Reports
. 2021 Nov 1;17(1):95-98.
doi: 10.1016/j.radcr.2021.10.008. eCollection 2022 Jan.

Costal cartilage fracture: A commonly missed thoracic injury in trauma patients

Moussa Meteb  1 , Bader Abou Shaar  2 , Ghassan Awad El-Karim  3 , Youssef Almalki  4
Affiliations
Case Reports

Costal cartilage fracture: A commonly missed thoracic injury in trauma patients

Moussa Meteb et al. Radiol Case Rep. .

Erratum in

Abstract

In this report, we describe a case of a 43-year-old male who sustained a displaced mid chondral costal cartilage fracture along with multiple ipsilateral rib fractures following a jet ski collision. Costal cartilage fractures (CC) are commonly missed on imaging evaluation, and accordingly underreported in the literature. High-energy blunt chest trauma represents the most common mechanism for CC injuries. Computed Tomography (CT) is the modality of choice to diagnose CC fractures along with the associated cardiopulmonary and abdominal injuries in polytrauma patients. There is currently no consensus with respect to the management of CC fractures. Further research is required to explore the long-term impact of CC fractures on thoracic cage stability.

Keywords: Blunt Chest Trauma; Costal Cartilage Fracture; Costochondral Injury; Emergency Radiology; Rib Injury.

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Figures

Fig 1
Fig. 1
PA and lateral chest radiographs. PA chest radiograph demonstrates subtle asymmetric deformity of the right rib cage starting from the 6th rib (arrow).
Fig 2
Fig. 2
Low-dose CT chest with multiple reformats and 3D reconstruction. (A) Soft-tissue window demonstrates a displaced 7th mid chondral costal cartilage fracture (arrow). (B) Bone window demonstrates ipsilateral nondisplaced anterior 5th rib fracture and minimally distracted lateral 7th rib fracture (arrows). (C) Sagittal soft-tissue window of displaced 7th mid chondral costal cartilage fracture and (D) associated 3D reconstruction.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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