Isolated fractures of the sternum are a rare injury, except in the case of iatrogenic
ones. Up to 8% of the patients admitted with blunt chest trauma have sternal fractures
caused primarily by anterior blunt chest trauma. Sternal fractures are usually caused
by motor vehicle accidents due to the chest striking the steering wheel. Almost all
sternal fractures are due to direct trauma. Stress or indirect fractures of the sternum
are a rare injury. Stress fractures can occur rarely in young athletes from repeated
stress and sometimes in elderly patients with osteoporotic bones or other pathological
conditions. A case of isolated sternum fracture with no direct trauma is reported
herein. A 50-year-old man without any history of direct trauma sustained a fracture
of the sternum when he fell 2 m on his hip. Although sternum fractures, except iatrogenic
ones, are seen rarely, they should be considered in patients who are presented with
acute chest pain in any kind of trauma.
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References
- Sternal fractures: a retrospective analysis of 272 cases.J Trauma. 1993; 35: 46-54
- Sternal fractures: retrospective analysis of 100 cases.World J Surg. 2002; 26 (Epub 2002 Aug 16): 1243-1246
- Management of isolated sternal fractures: determining the risk of blunt cardiac injury.Ann R Coll Surg Engl. 2000; 82: 162-166
- Sternum fractures and effects of associated injuries.Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2009 Dec; 57: 468-471
- Chest wall trauma.J Thorac Imaging. 2000; 15: 112-119
- Sternal fracture: what investigations are indicated?.Injury. 1993; 24: 113-115
Article Info
Publication History
Published online: November 01, 2012
Accepted:
September 8,
2012
Received in revised form:
September 3,
2012
Received:
July 27,
2012
Identification
Copyright
© 2013 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
