title: Pneumomediastinum secondary to isolated orbital floor fracture.
abstract: Pneumomediastinum (PM) secondary to an isolated orbital blow-out fracture is a rare but potentially severe and life-threatening complication. Fortunately, airway obstruction, pneumothorax, pneumopericardium, and mediastinitis are rare complications of PM. Blowing the nose after a maxillofacial trauma increases pressure in the paranasal sinuses, which may lead to emphysema through a breach of the lining mucosa to the surrounding soft tissues in the head, neck, and, on occasions, to the mediastinum. We report here the rare case of a patient with PM after isolated orbital fracture. Only 3 similar cases have been previously reported in the literature.
authors.affiliation: Service of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Department of Surgery, Hôpitaux Universitaire de Genève, Faculty of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland. stefan.loretan@hcuge.ch
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Loretan
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Scolozzi
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls; D004646:Emphysema / Q000209:etiology; D005145:Face; D005157:Facial Pain / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008478:Mediastinal Emphysema / Q000209:etiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009333:Neck / Q000473:pathology; D009917:Orbital Fractures / Q000150:complications* / Q000601:surgery; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000379:methods; D013352:Subcutaneous Emphysema / Q000209:etiology; D013526:Surgical Mesh; D014025:Titanium
chemical_list: D014025:Titanium