Clinical and Radiological Characteristics of Patients Treated with the Diagnosis of Spontaneous Pneumomediastinum

Abstract

Associated with events or diseases leading to a sudden increase in alveolar pressure. The air in the\rmediastinum may originate in the pharynx, the tracheobronchial tree or the esophagus. This study aimed\rto assess the clinical and radiological characteristics of patients who were diagnosed with spontaneous\rpneumomediastinum and received treatment at our clinic.\rMaterials and Methods: A total of 23 patients who had spontaneous pneumomediastinum and were\rtreated at our clinic between 2007 and 2019 were retrospectively assessed for their age, etiological\rfactors, clinical and radiological characteristics; treatment and outcomes. Chest radiography and\rcomputed tomography of the thorax were used for diagnosis in all patients.\rResults: Of the patients, 15 were males and eight females and their mean age was 33.91 (15-82) years.\rThe most common symptom on admission was shortness of breath (n = 12) and chest pain (n = 11). The\retiological factors were excessive vomiting in six patients and excessive cough in five. Radiologically,\rthe most common findings besides pneumomediastinum were subcutaneous emphysema (n = 6) and\rpneumothorax (n = 4). Of the patients, seven required esophagoscopy, four required bronchoscopy and\rno pathology was observed. All patients were fully recovered when they were discharged.\rConclusions: The underlying etiological factor is crucial in pneumomediastinum. Conservative\rtreatment methods are often sufficient in spontaneous pneumomediastinum patients with no pathology\rin endoscopic evaluation.