An 18-year-old female Arab, a known asthmatic, presented to the emergency department of our hospital with complaints of chest pain and a nonproductive cough of 1-hour duration. She was conscious and well-oriented to the surroundings but had mild dyspnea. There was no history of receiving assisted mechanical ventilation. There was no previous history of pulmonary tuberculosis, recent trauma, surgery, or other intervention.
Vital parameters were stable, and body temperature was normal. There was subcutaneous emphysema involving the right side of the neck. Auscultation of the chest did not reveal any significant abnormality. A chest radiograph was obtained, which revealed surgical emphysema along the upper part of the right lateral chest wall and the right side of the neck. Minimal pneumomediastinum was also noted with air within the superior mediastinum on the right. A loss of volume of the right lung was noted with a shift of mediastinum to the right and elevated right diaphragmatic dome (Figure 1). No lung consolidation, pneumothorax, or pleural collection was noted. The patient collapsed immediately after the chest radiograph was obtained. She was intubated and given intravenous fluids and vasopressors to control the hypotension. Her condition stabilized after 2 hours. The portable bedside chest radiograph revealed increased severity of pneumomediastinum, surgical emphysema, right lung collapse, and mediastinal shift to the right (Figure 2).
Computed tomography (CT) imaging of the thorax was also performed, which confirmed the dissection of air into the mediastinal and subcutaneous spaces (Figure 3). A CT scan also revealed air within the posterior spinal extradural space in the thoracic spine (Figures 4 and 5), minimal pneumothorax on the right, and obstruction of the segmental right upper lobe bronchus by mucus plugs (Figure 6).
She was hospitalized and treated with antibiotics, bronchodilators, oxygen inhalation, and other conservative measures. A bronchoscopic removal of mucus plugs and thick secretions was also performed. After only 5 days, clinical findings got better. The chest radiograph revealed resolution of the pneumomediastinum and surgical emphysema and a significant improvement of the right lung collapse and mediastinal shift to the right (Figure 7). She improved rapidly during her stay in the hospital and was discharged after 7 days.
Axial nonenhanced chest CT scan. . Notes: This chest scan shows air dissecting through the mediastinal spaces (down arrow) and the subcutaneous soft tissue (up arrow). Minimal pneumothorax is also noted (left directional arrow). . Abbreviation: CT, computed tomography.