title: Spontaneous pneumomediastinum with subcutaneous emphysema: report of two pediatric cases.
abstract: We present two children diagnosed with spontaneous pneumomediastinum. The first case is a 9-year-old male who developed neck pain with a history of poorly controlled asthma and recently diagnosed right middle lobe pneumonia. The second case is a 14-year-old male who developed chest pain with a history of cough and congestion for four days. We describe their clinical courses and discuss briefly the epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of spontaneous pneumomediastinum. Though relatively rare in occurrence, we present these cases of spontaneous pneumomediastinum to demonstrate the variation in presentation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Reed
authors.forename: Katie E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Larson
authors.forename: Benson S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Hsu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001249:Asthma / Q000150:complications; D002648:Child; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008478:Mediastinal Emphysema / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D011859:Radiography; D006255:Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / Q000150:complications; D013352:Subcutaneous Emphysema / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*