• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.569-571
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• 2014

Spontaneous pneumomediastinum is a very uncommon entity that is defined as the presence of free air in the mediastinum without an obvious etiology. The presence of air in the spinal canal, known as concurrent pneumorrhachis, is an extremely rare epiphenomenon of spontaneous pneumomediastinum. We report a rare case of spontaneous pneumomediastinum with pneumorrhachis associated with influenza. The patient was diagnosed without invasive procedures, was managed with supportive treatment, and recovered without any complications.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.73 no.3
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• pp.169-173
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• 2012

Background: Spontaneous pneumomediastinum is a rare and benign condition that generally occurs in young generations without any precipitating factor or underlying disease. The purpose of this study is to review our experience in dealing with this entity and detail a reasonable course of assessment and management. Methods: From December 1999 to May 2012, 32 spontaneous pneumomediastinum patients were managed in our hospital. We retrospectively reviewed the result of management. Results: Patients ranged in age from 10 to 38 years, with the mean age of $18.3{\pm}5.6$ years. Twenty-five patients were men and seven were women. Initial WBC count was $10,039{\pm}2,993/{\mu}L$ and thirty-one patients underwent computed tomography. Twenty-two patients underwent esophagography and results were shown to be normal. Twenty-five patients were admitted in the hospital and the mean duration of admission was $3.4{\pm}2.0$ days. All patients were managed conservatively and discharged without any complications. Conclusion: Spontaneous pneumomediastinum is a benign condition combined with mild inflammatory signs and secondary causes must to excluded to avoid unfavorable outcomes and select proper management modality.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.95-100
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• 1973

This is a report on a total of four cases of esophageal perforation due to fish bone in the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Hanyang University Hospital. The perforated portions of esophagus were upper third of esophagus, that is, cervical esophalgus principally. The complications after esophageal perforation were acute mediastinitis with mediastinal emphysema in 2 cases, acute mediastinitis with both pyothorax in one case and cervical subcutaneous abscess alone in one case. Collar mediastinostomy was required to control disturbance of cardiopulmonary function as emergency procedure. Gastrostomy was of worthy for the various purposes, that` is, for feeding, absolute rest of the esophagus, and for prevention against continuous infection from esophageal leakage. After the gastrostomy. 3 cases were healed by spontaneous closure of esophageal perforation between one to four weeks. One case expired from severe septic shock due to acute diffuse mediastinitis and both pyothorax.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.375-377
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• 2003

Pneumomediastinum, also referred to as mediastinal emphysema or Hamman's syndrome, is defined as the presence of air or gas within the fascial planes of the mediastinum. Superior extension of air into the cervicofacial subcutaneous space via communications between the mediastinum and cervical fascial planes or spaces occurs occasionally, Pneumomediastinum frequently results from blunt tracheobronchial lesions and esophageal injuries. However, in most cases, the origin of pneumomediastinum remains unclear. an some cases, it is attributed to the Macklin effect. We report a case of patient with pneumomediastinum, that presented with Macklin effect on chest computed tomographic scan.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.39 no.1 s.258
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• pp.56-59
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• 2006

Background: Spontaneous pneumomediastinum (SPM) is a relatively rare and benign condition that generally occurs in young adults without any precipitating factor or disease. The purpose of this study was to assess whether more uncomforting diagnostic procedures are necessary and to establish standards in the diagnosis and treatment of spontaneous pneumomediastinum. Material and Method: A retrospective study was done on 18 patients from the hospitals of Hanyang University Seoul Hospital and Hanyang University Guri Hospital between February, 1997 and June, 2004. All patients had presence of mediastinal air without a pneumothorax and no evidence of trauma or barotrauma. Result: Among the 18 patients, the majority were male patients with only two female patients. Their mean age was 20.95 years old with standard deviation of 14.3 years. The most common complaints were chest pain, dyspnea, and coughing. Evaluation included simple chest roentgenogram in all patients, 10 patients had a chest tomographic scan, 10 patients had an esophagoscopic exam, 6 patients had a bronchofiberoscopic exam, and 3 patients had an esophagogram done. The mean hospital stay was 10.9 days. All patients were treated conservatively and in a follow-up of 1 $\∼$ 8 years only one recurrence was found. Conclusion: SPM is caused by alveolar rupture in the pulmonary interstitium leading to dissection of air towards the hilum and mediastinum. Although SPM is a self-limiting condition, evaluation should include chest roentgenogram and chest tomographic scans to rule out any other secondary condition. More aggressive evaluation seems unnecessary.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.287-291
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• 2016

Background: Spontaneous pneumomediastinum (SPM) is an uncommon disorder with only a few reported clinical studies. The goals of this study were to investigate the clinical manifestations and the natural course of S PM, as w ell as examine the current available treatment options for SPM. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 91 patients diagnosed with SPM between January 2008 and June 2015. Results: The mean age of the patients was $22.7{\pm}13.2years$, and 67 (73.6%) were male. Chest pain (58, 37.2%) was the predominant symptom. The most frequent precipitating factor before developing SPM was a cough (15.4%), but the majority of patients (51, 56.0%) had no precipitating factors. Chest X-ray was diagnostic in 44 patients (48.4%), and chest computed tomography (CT) showed mediastinal air in all cases. Esophagography (10, 11.0%), esophagoduodenoscopy (1, 1.1%), and bronchoscopy (5, 5.5%) were performed selectively due to clinical suspicion, but no abnormal findings that implicated organ injury were documented. Twelve patients (13.2%) were discharged after a visit to the emergency room, and the others were admitted and received conservative treatment. The mean length of hospital stay was $3.0{\pm}1.6days$. There were no complications related to SPM except for recurrence in 2 patients (2.2%). Conclusion: SPM responds well to conservative treatment and follows a benign natural course. Hospitalization and aggressive treatment can be performed in selective cases.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.343-350
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• 2023

Based on Lung CT Screening Reporting and Data System (Lung-RADS), which has been used to standardize reading for lung cancer screening since November 2016, the types and frequency of "S" modifier findings other than lung cancer were analyzed. As a result of this study, 360 cases (35.19%) of "S" modifier were found in 1,023 subjects, and the most frequent diseases were coronary calcification and emphysema, 145 (14.17%) of coronary calcification and 138 (13.49%) of emphysema, indicating that the discovery rate was very high compared to other findings. In addition, it was found to be highly associated with the duration of smoking, and in the case of coronary calcification, 9 cases (5.73%) were found in the non-smokers group A, 23 cases (11.44%) within 10 years of smoking, 39 cases (13.68%) in the C group within 20 years of smoking, and 31% of the E group over 30 years of smoking. In addition to coronary calcification and emphysema, abnormal findings of pneumonia, lung epilepsy, and mediastinal disease were also found to be p<0.05 as a result of the analysis of the association with the smoking period, indicating that the smoking period was affected.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.797-799
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• 2010

The pneumomediastinum after a dental treatment occurs rarely and shows almost good prognosis, however it is potentially life-threatening complication. Here we report a case of pneumomediastinum, occurred by air bubbles originated from dental high speed equipment, via head and neck fascial space with literatures review.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.675-680
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• 2010

Background: The aim of this study was to identify the distinguishing clinicoradiologic findings of traumatic tracheobronchial injury. Material and Method: Between January 2003 and December 2009, six patients who underwent surgical repair for traumatic tracheobronchial injury due to blunt trauma were included in this study. We evaluated the mechanism of the injury, the coexisting injuries, the time until the making diagnosis and treatment, the diagnostic methods, the anatomic location of the injury and the surgical outcomes. Result: The mechanisms of injury were traffic accident and crushing forces. The frequent symptoms were subcutaneous emphysema, dyspnea and pain, and the common radiologic findings were pneumothorax, mediastinal emphysema, rib fracture and lung contusion. Only 2 patients were diagnosed by chest CT and the others were not diagnosed preoperatively. The location of injury was the trachea in 2 patients and the bronchial tree in 4 patients. There was no postoperative mortality or anastomotic leak; however, vocal cord palsy occurred in one patient. The most distinguishing sign was persistent lung collapse even though the chest tube was connected with negative pressure. Conclusion: Although it was not easy to diagnose traumatic tracheobronchial injury without a clinical suspicion, the distinguishing clinical symptoms and CT findings could help to make an early diagnosis without performing bronchoscopy.

• Proceedings of the KOR-BRONCHOESO Conference
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• 1981.05a
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• pp.8.5-9
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• 1981

Foreign body in the esophagus is not uncommon in the otolaryngological field and esophageal perforation followed by mediastinitis is one of the most serious complications. Authors had experienced such case developed in 69 year old female patient. This woman swallowed a piece of sharp glass accidentally. Severe pain and swelling around the neck developed after ingestion. Marked subcutaneous emphysema was noted on first examination. By esophagoscopy, longitudinal laceration at right lateral wall of the cervical esophagus was noted and a lot of food debries were removed through this perforation, but foreign body could not be found. On third hospital day, patient complained chest pain and dyspnea. Mediastinal widening was noted on chest P-A. Tracheostomy was performed on next day and neck swelling decreased much. In spite of massive antibiotics, mediastinal abscess was developed and external drainage was performed on 15th hospital day. She was discharged on 38th hospital day with marked improvement and recovered completely on follow-up study. Still, we do not know where the foreign body is located.