Abstract des Autors

Football is a collision sport and injuries resulting from blunt trauma are not uncommon. Although many authors have discussed injuries to the extremities, spine, and head in football, little has been written about pulmonary and thoracic trauma in this sport. The shoulder pads provide substantial protection to the upper thoracic cavity, both anteriorly and posteriorly, but they do little to defend the lower rib cage and lateral chest wall. The diagnoses of bruised ribs, chest contusions, and cracked ribs are often heard around contact sports, but small pneumothorax may be difficult to diagnose on the sidelines. Furthermore, dyspnea at rest may not be present in a well-conditioned athlete with pneumothorax. The authors report their experience with three football-induced cases of pneumothorax and discuss the difficulties in diagnosing and treating this injury. Verf.-Referat