Seat belt injury causing bisection of the breast: A case report

摘要

Seat belt use has been mandatory in the United Kingdom since 1983 for front seat passengers, and since 1991 for rear seat users. This measure has hugely reduced the risk of serious injuries and death associated with road traffic accidents. However, this restraint system is associated with a particular pattern of injuries in the configuration of the seat belt, namely sternal fractures, bowel trauma or spinal injuries. There have been multiple publications on these injuries which have now been termed 'seat belt syndrome' or 'seat belt injuries'. We report a case of breast bisection as a result of seat belt trauma with description of the reconstructive procedure. A 67 year old lady was involved in a road traffic accident resulting in severe bruising across her right breast from her seat belt. There were no open wounds and she did not require any medical treatment at this stage. Over the subsequent weeks, she noticed a worsening deformity of her right breast. Her past medical history included rheumatoid arthritis affecting her hips for which she took Nap-roxen 500 mg BD, and she was otherwise fit and well. She had attended regular mammograms that had been normal. She first attended the breast unit three months after her accident and was noted to have severe indentation of her right breast in line of her seat belt (Figure 1).