Presentation
Right shoulder tip pain and shortness of breath.
Patient Data
Rim of subdiaphragmatic free gas.
The lungs are clear with normal pulmonary vascularity. No consolidation, collapse or pneumothorax.
Normal cardiomediastinal contour and visualized bony thorax.
Case Discussion
This patient was one day post-operative following a laparoscopic procedure and this free gas was attributed to residual insufflation gas from the operation rather than a perforated viscus.
This appearance is commonly encountered following some abdominopelvic operations, usually resolving after a week. If the volume of gas increases though, further investigation is warranted.