Pulmonary atelectasis from a posttraumatic pseudoaneurysm of the thoracic aorta - A case report and review of the literature

Atelectasis of the left lung due to tracheobronchial compression is a rare complication of posttraumatic pseudoaneurysms of the thoracic aorta. We des cribe the case of a 57-year-old man with a chronic posttraumatic pseudoaneu rysm of the thoracic aorta with acute progressive dyspnea and complete atel ectasis of the left lung. The patient underwent aneurysmectomy with an inte rposition of a Dacron graft using both median sternotomy and lateral thorac otomy. A diagnosis of posttraumatic aneurysm should be considered in patien ts with both acute left pulmonary atelectasis and a history of major chest trauma. A review of the literature regarding this clinical condition is als o discussed.