JTCS St. Jude Medical
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Personal Folders
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Author home page(s):
Kalliopi Athanassiadi
Right arrow Permission Requests
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Gerazounis, M.
Right arrow Articles by Moustardas, M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Gerazounis, M.
Right arrow Articles by Moustardas, M.
Related Collections
Right arrow Mediastinum

J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2003;126:774-776
© 2003 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery

General thoracic surgery

Spontaneous pneumomediastinum: a rare benign entity

Michalis Gerazounis, MDa, Kalliopi Athanassiadi, MDa,*, Nikolitsa Kalantzi, MDa, Marios Moustardas, MDa

a Department of Thoracic Surgery, General Hospital of Nikea, Piraeus, Greece

Received for publication July 1, 2002; revisions received August 19, 2002; revisions received September 11, 2002; accepted for publication October 10, 2002.

* Address for reprints: Kalliopi Athanassiadi, MD, 34A Konstantinoupoleostr., 15562 Holargos, Athens, Greece
kallatha{at}otenet.gr

OBJECTIVE: Spontaneous pneumomediastinum usually occurs in young people without an apparent precipitating factor or disease. Thoracic surgeons are involved in the diagnosis and management of this entity because of the potentially life-threatening conditions that either must be treated as an emergency or excluded, such as esophageal perforation or necrotizing mediastinitis. We present our modest experience in treating spontaneous pneumomediastinum.

MATERIALS: Between 1988 and 1998 we treated 22 cases of spontaneous pneumomediastinum in 18 male patients and 4 female patients, ranging in age between 12 and 32 years. All traumatic cases were excluded. Retrosternal chest pain was the main symptom the patients presented. In only 11 cases was subcutaneous emphysema present. Chest radiography was diagnostic in all our cases. Computed tomographic scan, when performed, confirmed the diagnosis. An esophagogram was essential to exclude an esophageal rupture. Last, a cardiologic examination especially focusing on pericarditis excluded cardiac disease.

RESULTS: Conservative treatment consisted of bed rest, oxygen therapy, and analgesics, which led to rapid resolution of the spontaneous pneumomediastinum. The mean hospital stay ranged between 3 and 10 days. In a follow-up of 3 to 12 years only 1 recurrence was observed.

CONCLUSION: Spontaneous pneumomediastinum is usually an undiagnosed benign entity that responds very well to conservative treatment. It should be considered in the differential diagnosis of chest pain, especially in healthy adolescents and young adults.






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
ANN THORAC SURG ASIAN CARDIOVASC THORAC ANN EUR J CARDIOTHORAC SURG
J THORAC CARDIOVASC SURG ICVTS ALL CTSNet JOURNALS
Copyright © 2003 by The American Association for Thoracic Surgery.