Spontaneous endobroncheal erosion of a bullet - an uncommon presentation of gunshot trauma in remote past

ABSTRACT

A case of unknown bullet trauma to the lung, in remote past, presented with hemoptysis which was mislabeled as hematemesis. Once labeled, a number of physicians, one after the other, kept on treating her for that symptom. She also consulted a number of specialties and was treated for reflux esophagitis, tuberculosis etc. Meanwhile her x-ray chest revealed a foreign body which was treated as an artifact first, and proved to be a bullet on CT scan. Thoracotomy had to be performed to remove the pathologic right lower lobe of lung