OBJECTIVE Spontaneous mediastinal emphysema is uncommon. Its cause has not been determined precisely, but the entity is usually associated with suddenly raised alveolar pressure. METHODS Between 1980 and 2001, 114 patients with mediastinal emphysema of various causes were hospitalized in the Wolfson Medical Center. In 22 of these patients (19.3%) the emphysema occurred without an obvious prec...

BACKGROUND Invasive candidiasis is a potential problem for patients receiving long-term immunosuppressive treatment. Psoriatic arthritis is one of many chronic diseases that can be successfully treated with immunosuppressive drugs, in spite of a documented and accepted risk for infectious complications. Critical awareness of possible infection must be part of the surveillance of such patients. ...

We report a case of mediastinal and bilateral retro-orbital emphysema following an uncomplicated endoscopic sphincterotomy. The concurrent presence of these complications following endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography is rare. The simultaneous occurrence of these two complications in the same patient has not been previously reported in the literature. Furthermore, we define the first ...

We present a case of spontaneous mediastinal and subcutaneous cervical emphysema due to perforation of an occult sigmoid diverticulitis. Mediastinal emphysema should alert the physician to the possibility of retroperitoneal gastrointestinal perforation, even in patients without signs of distinct peritoneal irritation.

Subcutaneous and mediastinal emphysema after head and neck procedures is a rare phenomenon; however, its incidence has increased alongside the development of instruments for medical procedures. We report two cases of subcutaneous emphysema and mediastinal emphysema after dental procedures. In case 1, the entry of air was a laceration in the oral floor and an emphysema developed from the submand...

The occurrence of pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous cervical emphysema as complications of childhood pneumonia is very unusual. They results most often from respiratory manoeuvres that produce high intrathoracic pressure. Although they are largely benign, pneumomediastinum can cause compression of major blood vessels in the mediastinum resulting in life threatening complications. Therefore, ad...

BACKGROUND Cervicofacial emphysema may arise due to the leakage of air from a defect in the aerodigestive tract to the fascial layers of neck and face. Rarely, it may be caused by insufflation of air through the Stensen's duct. CASE REPORT We present a case with diffuse facial, cervical and mediastinal emphysema due to playing a wind instrument immediately after a facial trauma. There was no ...

Pneumomediastinum is air leakage to mediastinal space from various potential sites, including lung, esophagus, trachea, and neck. It is a rare condition that develops either spontaneously with increased intraalveolar or intrabronchial pressure, or due to trauma. Although cases where face or neck trauma with subcutaneous emphysema that extended to mediastinal cavity via anatomical connections in...