Rad Mona Vahidi, Chan Eliza Kwok Ying, Ahmed Iqbal Hussein
Department of Internal Medicine, University of British Columbia, BC, Canada.
Department of Emergency Medicine, University of British Columbia, BC, Canada.
Respir Med Case Rep. 2019 Jul 31;28:100918. doi: 10.1016/j.rmcr.2019.100918. eCollection 2019.
The occurrence of cervicofacial subcutaneous emphysema and pneumomediastinum is very rare but can be potentially life-threatening. These complications can happen during or after bronchoscopic or dental procedures, esophageal rupture or perforation, infections involving the head and neck and alveolar rupture in the setting of an inciting event such as asthma. The symptoms can appear promptly after the inciting event, but can also be delayed or do not reach maximal intensity for hours. Cervicofacial subcutaneous emphysema usually occurs during or within minutes to hours after dental treatment and can be easily misdiagnosed as post-procedure swelling or an allergic reaction. We report a 36-year-old male who underwent dental treatment for a fractured left lower molar tooth and subsequently developed extensive subcutaneous emphysema and pneumomediastinum. The purpose of this report is to bring attention to the fact that obtaining an accurate diagnosis for this condition is very important and management in a timely manner can prevent serious complications.
颈面部皮下气肿和纵隔气肿的发生非常罕见，但可能危及生命。这些并发症可发生在支气管镜检查或牙科手术期间或之后、食管破裂或穿孔、涉及头颈部的感染以及在哮喘等诱发事件背景下的肺泡破裂。症状可在诱发事件后迅速出现，但也可能延迟出现或数小时内未达到最大强度。颈面部皮下气肿通常发生在牙科治疗期间或治疗后数分钟至数小时内，很容易被误诊为术后肿胀或过敏反应。我们报告一名36岁男性，他因左下磨牙骨折接受了牙科治疗，随后出现广泛的皮下气肿和纵隔气肿。本报告的目的是提醒人们注意，对这种情况进行准确诊断非常重要，及时处理可预防严重并发症。
