Plate 110.
Shrapnel—Plate 110.
CHEST.
Gunshot Wound of the Chest,
with Lodgment of the Missile in the Lung.
The posterior chest wall is next to the plate, as the posterior rib shadows are much more distinct and much smaller than the shadows of the anterior ribs.
The shadow of the ball is blurred, which shows that it moved with respiration and is, therefore, probably in the lung. The shadow is only slightly enlarged and is fairly dense, which indicates it to be not far from the ribs and, therefore, in the posterior portion of the lung.
The treatment of such cases is conservative; infection is not common; hæmothorax pleurisy, empyema, pneumonia, and pulmonary abscess are most frequent complications, named in the order of frequency. Pulmonary abscess is very rare. Pneumonia was seen in a personal case.
Plate 111.
