Zouaoui Arije, Houas Yasmine, Thamri Fatma, Houidi Senda, Jouini Riadh
Pediatric Surgery "A" Department, Tunis El Manar University, Bechir Hamza Children's Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia.
Tunis El Manar University, Tunis, Tunisia.
Radiol Case Rep. 2025 Jun 16;20(9):4400-4403. doi: 10.1016/j.radcr.2025.05.030. eCollection 2025 Sep.
Idiopathic pneumoperitoneum is a rare, benign condition that mimics gastrointestinal perforation on radiographic imaging. Differentiating between medical and surgical pneumoperitoneum is challenging but crucial. We report a case of a 3-month-old boy who presented with massive pneumoperitoneum. The X-ray showed the pathognomonic "football sign." Idiopathic pneumoperitoneum was not initially considered, leading to surgical intervention. Spontaneous idiopathic pneumoperitoneum is rare beyond the neonatal period. Awareness of this condition, especially in specific scenarios such as mechanical ventilation or concurrent pneumothorax/pneumomediastinum, should be raised to avoid unnecessary and potentially risky surgery.
特发性气腹是一种罕见的良性病症，在影像学检查中类似胃肠道穿孔。区分医源性气腹和外科性气腹具有挑战性，但至关重要。我们报告一例3个月大男孩出现大量气腹的病例。X线显示典型的“足球征”。最初未考虑特发性气腹，从而导致了手术干预。新生儿期过后，自发性特发性气腹很少见。应提高对这种病症的认识，尤其是在机械通气或并发气胸/纵隔气肿等特定情况下，以避免不必要的、有潜在风险的手术。
