Presentation
Acute onset abdominal pain and guarding. ?perforation
Patient Data
Age: 60 years
Gender: Male
From the case:
Pneumoperitoneum (chest radiograph)
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Gas is beneath both hemidiaphragms, more prominent on the right, in keeping with a pneumoperitoneum. Sternotomy wires.
Case Discussion
A pneumoperitoneum should be considered a pathological finding unless there is a recent history of abdominal surgery. Even then, there should not be a large volume of gas, and correlation with examination findings are important.