Spontaneouspneumomediastinum. Case report

Authors

Keywords:

spontaneous pneumomediastinum, old age, subcutaneous emphysema

Abstract

The spontaneous pneumomediastinum is characterized by the air presence in the mediastinum. It is a generally benign disease which evolves in a satisfactory way between 2 and 15 days, that is not associated to any directly known cause. It is infrequent in the old age. It mainly presents with chest pain, dyspnea and subcutaneous emphysema. Diagnosis realizes on the base of clinical characteristics, thorax radiography and thorax axial computed tomography, being the last one also important to establish the differential diagnosis with Boerhaave syndrome in an opportune way. The case presented is the case of a male patient aged 67 years, who smokes and has antecedents of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He assisted to the consultation due to thoracic pain, dyspnea and subcutaneous emphysema after an episode of intense cough. Posteroanterior and lateral thorax radiography were done, finding air presence in the mediastinum; other acute diseases were discarded and the diagnosis of pneumomediastinum was corroborated through thorax computed tomography scan. He was treated with oxygen, bronchodilators, steroids and antibiotics therapy, obtaining an evident improvement. The literature reports that the presence of these characteristics in old-aged patients is not common and that it must be suspected in those presenting an aggravation of the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, mainly after a cough episode.

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Author Biographies

Osmar Vidaillet-Rodríguez, Hospital General Docente Iluminado Rodríguez Rodríguez. Jagüey Grande, Matanzas

Especialista de I grado en Cirugía General Profesor Asistente

Yurisma Carrasco-Blanco, Hospital General Docente Iluminado Rodríguez Rodríguez. Jagüey Grande, Matanzas

Máster en Enfermedades Infecciosas Especialista de I grado en Medicina General Integral Especialista de I grado en Otorrinolaringología Profesor Asistente

Yiliany García-Marrero, Hospital General Docente Iluminado Rodríguez Rodríguez. Jagüey Grande, Matanzas

Especialista de I grado en Geriatría  y Gerontología Profesor Instructor

Arletis Vidaillet-Carrasco, Policlínico Docente Comunitario Celia Sánchez Manduley. Ciénaga de Zapata, Matanzas

Especialista de I grado en Medicina General Integral

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Published

2022-02-07

How to Cite

1.
Vidaillet-Rodríguez O, Carrasco-Blanco Y, García-Marrero Y, Vidaillet-Carrasco A. Spontaneouspneumomediastinum. Case report. Rev Méd Electrón [Internet]. 2022 Feb. 7 [cited 2025 Feb. 2];44(1):1-12. Available from: https://revmedicaelectronica.sld.cu/index.php/rme/article/view/3792

Issue

Vol. 44 No. 1 (2022)

Section

Presentation of cases

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