title: Nontraumatic subcutaneous emphysema in association with rectal carcinoma.
abstract: Nontraumatic subcutaneous emphysema is a rare complication of colorectal cancer. To the authors' knowledge, only eight cases have been reported to date. The initiating event was free colonic perforation in seven of the patients and contained colosubcutaneous fistula in the eighth. In nontraumatic subcutaneous emphysema typical fecal flora is cultured, whereas in nontraumatic gas gangrene, a different clinical entity that has a fulminant course, the bacteria are generally clostridial. The authors report a case of nontraumatic subcutaneous emphysema associated with rectal carcinoma and describe the associated computed tomography findings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Princess Margaret Hospital, Toronto, Ont.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chow
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Goldberg
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Stern
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D000368:Aged; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005738:Gas Gangrene / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011860:Radiography, Abdominal; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D013352:Subcutaneous Emphysema / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed