Images in Cardiothoracic Medicine and Surgery
Massive postpartum pneumomediastinum Shinichi Fukuhara and Adam Saltman
Asian Cardiovascular & Thoracic Annals 21(3) 372 ß The Author(s) 2012 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/0218492312454280 aan.sagepub.com
Figure 1. Computed tomography showing air dissecting into all mediastinal compartments.
A 26-year-old healthy primigravida with an uneventful pregnancy, had a normal vaginal delivery. At 2 h postpartum, she complained of chest discomfort and was noted to have unusual swelling of the face and neck and Hamman’s sign. A diagnosis of pneumomediastinum was made. Computed tomography of the chest demonstrated air dissecting into all mediastinal compartments (Figure 1). The patient was closely observed for the next 24 h. Her chest discomfort improved and the subcutaneous emphysema did not appear to be extending. She was discharged well on the 2nd postpartum day.
One week later, she remained asymptomatic, and her subcutaneous emphysema and Hamman’s sign had resolved. Funding This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Conflicts of interest statement None declared.
Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, USA Corresponding author: Shinichi Fukuhara, MD, Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 317 E. 17th Street, New York, NY 10003, USA. Email: [email protected]
Downloaded from aan.sagepub.com at Bobst Library, New York University on May 30, 2015
Massive postpartum pneumomediastinum Shinichi Fukuhara and Adam Saltman
Asian Cardiovascular & Thoracic Annals 21(3) 372 ß The Author(s) 2012 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/0218492312454280 aan.sagepub.com
Figure 1. Computed tomography showing air dissecting into all mediastinal compartments.
A 26-year-old healthy primigravida with an uneventful pregnancy, had a normal vaginal delivery. At 2 h postpartum, she complained of chest discomfort and was noted to have unusual swelling of the face and neck and Hamman’s sign. A diagnosis of pneumomediastinum was made. Computed tomography of the chest demonstrated air dissecting into all mediastinal compartments (Figure 1). The patient was closely observed for the next 24 h. Her chest discomfort improved and the subcutaneous emphysema did not appear to be extending. She was discharged well on the 2nd postpartum day.
One week later, she remained asymptomatic, and her subcutaneous emphysema and Hamman’s sign had resolved. Funding This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Conflicts of interest statement None declared.
Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, USA Corresponding author: Shinichi Fukuhara, MD, Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 317 E. 17th Street, New York, NY 10003, USA. Email: [email protected]
Downloaded from aan.sagepub.com at Bobst Library, New York University on May 30, 2015
