THE BROKEN HALO SIGN - A FRACTURED CALCIFIED RING AS AN UNUSUAL SIGN OF TRAUMATIC RUPTURE OF THE THORACIC AORTA

Two elderly patients, involved in separate motor vehicle accidents, su stained blunt chest injury resulting in rupture of their thoracic aort as. The initial chest radiographs showed the presence of a calcified r ing fractured in two places with lateral displacement of a calcified f ragment by haematoma. This 'broken halo sign' is a radiographic sign n ot previously well described in the literature. The presence of a disr upted aortic ring in the elderly patient, associated with the appropri ate mechanism of injury, should alert the clinician to the potential d iagnosis of traumatic rupture of the thoracic aorta (TRTA).