Pneumomediastinum, the presence of free air within the mediastinal cavity, is sometimes accompanied by subcutaneous emphysema and pneumorrhachis (air within the spinal canal). We report the case of a 28-year-old man with previously undiagnosed HIV who was diagnosed with extensive pneumomediastinum, pneumorrhachis, and subcutaneous emphysema secondary to Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia after pre...

This is a case report of spontaneous pneumomediastinum that occurred in a 19-year-old army trainee during his 2.4km run. Spontaneous pneumomediastinum is a rare disorder. It is usually precipitated by activities related to Valsalva manoeuvres such as strenuous physical activities, retching and vomiting. Treatment is expectant and the disorder usually resolves spontaneously within a few days. Ho...

Pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema generally occurs following trauma to the esophagus or lung. It also occurs spontaneously in such situations of elevating intra-thoracic pressure as asthma, excessive coughing or forceful straining. We report here on the rare case of a man who experienced the signs of pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema after a prolonged bout of intractable h...

The presence of pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum, or cervical subcutaneous emphysema due to perforated duodenal ulcer is a rare presentation. We report a 23-year-man who showed bilateral cervical subcutaneous emphysema, pneumomediastinum, and pneumothorax with no respiratory abnormality. He was found to have active duodenal ulcers, but no detectable pneumoperitoneum or duodenal leak. A sealed pe...

Spontaneous pneumomediastinum is defined as a primary process characterized by the presence of air or gas in the mediastinum. We report all the cases of spontaneous pneumomediastinum diagnosed in our hospital between January 1996 and December 2004. We developed a protocol for data collection that included the following: medical history, triggers, signs, radiology, treatment, hospital stay, and ...

pontaneous pneumomediastinum is an uncommon benign disease that mainly affects young, tall, and thin male patients without evidence of trauma or other underlying pulmonary disease. It is a condition caused by an increase of intrathoracic pressure and air leaking from the trachea, bronchi, alveoli, or esophagus into the mediastinum. Although it is often a self-limiting disease, it requires admis...

and was discharged after 8 days. Colonoscopy is a common and safe diagnostic and curative procedure. The incidence of perforation is 0.19 to 0.21% and usually happens after therapeutic procedures.1 Sigmoid colon is frequently involved. Pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema occurs in exceptional cases.2 The choice to perform conservative treatment or endoscopic clipping3-5 is determined b...

A 76-year-old man with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease presented with new swelling in the neck and face. Physical examination was notable for massive subcutaneous emphysema as the cause of the swelling, which extended from the patient’s trunk and neck onto his face (Picture A). A CT scan showed extensive subcutaneous emphysema throughout the neck and thorax as well as a pneumomediastinum ...

OBJECTIVE To present an unusual case of spontaneous pneumomediastinum subsequent to recreational amphetamine use. CASE REPORT A young African American adult male was admitted to internal medicine service for treatment of rhabdomyolysis secondary to methamphetamine use. On admission, he was complaining of chest pain in addition to nausea and generalized muscle aches. By his second hospital day...

The combination of pneumomediastinum, gastric wall gas and hepatic portal vein gas is a challenging clinical problem. Although different causes of the individual gas sign have been reported in the literature, the cause of a triad of these signs in a single patient is less clear, and represents an extremely rare condition. A 65-year-old man presented with severe lower chest and epigastric pain o...