Spontaneous pneumomediastinum treatment.

The authors report 5 cases that presented to the emergency department of the Athens Naval and Veterans Hospital (Athens, Greece) with spontaneous pneumomediastinum. The clinical picture was not diagnostic in most of the cases, with symptoms of acute retrosternal pain and severe dyspnea in just one case. Diagnostic work disclosed the presence of mediastinal air, and after the exclusion of other diagnoses, spontaneous pneumomediastinum was treated conservatively in all cases. In this case series the authors discuss the main aspects of treatment of these patients, the value of antibiotics during the recovery period and the air distribution in the thoracic tissues.