Pneumomediastinum after Facial Bone Contouring Surgery

443 Pneumomediastinum is a rare complication that occurs after facial bone contouring surgery. However, it is considered as a life-threatening complication, and it is difficult to prevent pneumomediastinum as it occurs due to unknown or unexpected reasons. There are two suggestive causes of pneumomediastinum that occurs in association with facial bone contouring surgery. First, pneumomediastinum could occur due to the influx of air into the mediastinum, which is caused by the air dissecting along the fascial plane due to injury to the cervical fascia or chest wall or infection. Second, pneumomediastinum could occur due to spontaneous alveolar rupture due to increased intra-alveolar pressure [1,2]. The authors encountered a patient who unexpectedly developed pneumomediastinum after facial bone contouring surgery. Accordingly, we report the causes, clinical manifestations, and treatment of pneumomediastinum that occurred after facial bone contouring surgery. A 38-year-old foreign woman visited the hospital for a prominent zygomatic bone and square jaw. Her height was 160 cm and weight was 53 kg, and she did not have any specific medical history. Preoperative examination showed normal findings. The patient underwent zygomatic bone reduction with L-shape osteotomy, mandibular angle reduction, and horizontal reduction genioplasty. The patient had stable vital signs during surgery, and no particular Pneumomediastinum after Facial Bone Contouring Surgery