Citation

Procacci P, Zanette G, Nocini PF. Oral Maxillofac. Surg. 2015; 20(1): 91-96.

Affiliation

Department of Surgery, Section of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Verona, Policlinico "Giovanni Battista Rossi" Piazzale Ludovico Antonio Scuro, 1037134, Verona, Italy, pasquale.procacci@univr.it.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s10006-015-0516-3

PMID

26134477

Abstract

Subcutaneous facial emphysema is a well-known consequence of oral and maxillofacial traumatic injury. In some rare cases, the subcutaneous air collection could spread through the retropharyngeal and paralatero-cervical spaces, reaching the mediastinum. This clinical entity is known as pneumomediastinum and represents a severe and, sometimes, life-threatening condition. Other reported causes of pneumomediastinum are esophageal and tracheal traumatic or iatrogenic rupture. Finally, the so-called spontaneous pneumomediastinum is caused by a sudden increase in alveolar pressure and is usually seen in young men. We present two cases of pneumomediastinum as a consequence of unusual traumatic damage of orofacial tissues, followed by repeated sneezing and Valsalva maneuver.

Language: en