Case Report on a Rare Sequele of Long Covid: Long Covid Induced Occult Rib Fracture

Abstract

This paper aims on two objectives (i) to report a case of occult cough induced rib fracture following long Covid, and (ii) to introduced ultrasound as one of good modalities to detect occult rib fracture. A 38-year-old man, 3 weeks post Covid-19 presented with acute right-sided chest pain at the 5th intercostal ribs. Electrocardiogram and echocardiogram were normal. His chest Xray showed no sign of pneumonia or pneumothorax. A bedside ultrasound revealed an occult rib fracture, and he was treated conservatively with pain control, deep breathing exercise, and mucolytic and anti-tussive medication. Subsequent, 8 weeks follow-ups showed pain-free symptoms and no tenderness around the 5th ribs and repeated ultrasound showed healed rib fracture. Solitary rib fracture is often miss in Xray, and CT scan is not commonly available in primary care settings. Thus, ultrasound can be used as one of the modalities to detect rib fracture.