Pneumomediastinum (summary)
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Citation:
Jones J, Hacking C, Tatco V, et al. Pneumomediastinum (summary). Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 18 Feb 2025) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-31401
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31401
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Disclosures:
At the time the article was created Jeremy Jones had no recorded disclosures.
View Jeremy Jones's current disclosures
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Disclosures:
At the time the article was last revised Jeremy Jones had no recorded disclosures.
View Jeremy Jones's current disclosures
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This is a basic article for medical students and other non-radiologists
Pneumomediastinum describes air/gas within the mediastinum and is readily demonstrated on CT and may be seen on a chest radiograph.
Reference article
This is a summary article; read more in our article on pneumomediastinum.
Summary
-
pathophysiology
- gas within the mediastinum
- causes
- tracheobronchial perforation with gas tracking
- perforation of esophagus
- penetrating trauma
Radiographic features
Chest radiograph
- gas outlines the mediastinal structures
- may be difficult to see on a chest x-ray
CT chest
- much more readily demonstrated on a CT
Quiz questions
Incoming Links
Cases:
- Spontaneous pneumomediastinum and armoured oxygen mask
- Tuberculosis with bronchopulmonary fistula and pulmonary embolism
- Pneumomediastinum
- Spontaneous pneumomediastinum with extensive subcutaneous emphysema complicating a COVID-19 pneumonia
- Pneumorrhachis
- Spontaneous pneumomediastinum
- Pneumomediastinum
- Pneumomediastinum
- Post-traumatic pneumorrhachis associated with surgical emphysema of the neck and pneumomediastinum
Multiple choice questions:
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