• J J Curtin, L R Goodman, E J Quebbeman, and G B Haasler.
• Department of Radiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee 53226.
• AJR Am J Roentgenol. 1994 Dec 1; 163 (6): 1339-42.

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to determine how often chest tubes placed for acute trauma lie within a pleural fissure and to determine whether an intrapleural location influences outcome.Subjects And MethodsFifty-eight consecutive thoracostomy patients who had 66 chest tubes were studied prospectively. Tube location was determined from frontal and lateral chest radiographs. Outcome measures recorded included the following: duration of thoracostomy drainage, quantity of pleural fluid drained, need for further tubes, length of hospital stay, appearance on last chest radiograph before discharge, and need for surgical intervention.ResultsThirty-eight (58%) of the tubes were placed within a pulmonary fissure, 15 (23%) were posterior, nine (13%) were anterior, and four (6%) were in other locations. We found no significant difference in any of the outcome measures between tubes located in the fissure and other tubes.ConclusionA large percentage of tubes placed for acute chest trauma lie within a pleural fissure. These tubes, however, appear to function as effectively as those located elsewhere in the pleural space.

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