Medical education
Snapshot
Volume 207 - Issue 10
Spontaneous pneumomediastinum
Authors: Ching Soong Khoo and Siti Soraya Ab Rahman
Med J Aust 2017; 207 (10): 421. || doi: 10.5694/mja17.00140
Published online: 20 November 2017
Published online: 20 November 2017
A 20-year-old man with asthma presented with a 5-day history of coughing bouts and pleuritic chest pain
A 20-year-old man with asthma presented with a 5-day history of coughing bouts and pleuritic chest pain, and a 2-day history of neck swelling and breathlessness. On examination, he had mild tachypnoea with no stridor, and had subcutaneous emphysema from the anterior neck, down to the infraclavicular regions and into the right arm. Auscultation revealed widespread rhonchi and prolonged expiratory phase. X-rays revealed extensive pneumomediastinum (Figure, A) and subcutaneous emphysema (Figure, B). He was managed with high flow oxygen, nebulised bronchodilators and intravenous steroids and was discharged at 10 days of follow-up.
Bronchial asthma accounts for 22–50% of spontaneous pneumomediastinum.1
Competing interests
No relevant disclosures.
References
- Aleemuddin NM, Bahmed F. Spontaneous pneumomediastinum in acute severe asthma. Indian J Crit Care Med 2010; 14: 92-94.
Provenance: Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.
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