title: Spontaneous pneumomediastinum on bedside ultrasound: case report and review of the literature.
abstract: Spontaneous pneumomediastinum is a rare disease process with no clear etiology, although it is thought to be related to changes in intrathoracic pressure causing chest pain and dyspnea. We present a case of a 17-year-old male with acute chest pain evaluated initially by bedside ultrasound, which showed normal lung sliding but poor visualization of the parasternal and apical cardiac views due to significant air artifact, representing air in the thoracic cavity. The diagnosis was later verified by chest radiograph. We present a case report on ultrasound-diagnosed pneumomediastinum, and we review the diagnostic modalities to date.
authors.affiliation: Stanford University, Department of Emergency Medicine, Palo Alto, California.
authors.forename: Sybil
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zachariah
authors.affiliation: Stanford University, Department of Emergency Medicine, Palo Alto, California.
authors.forename: Laleh
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gharahbaghian
authors.affiliation: Stanford University, Department of Emergency Medicine, Palo Alto, California.
authors.forename: Phillips
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Perera
authors.affiliation: Stanford University, Department of Emergency Medicine, Palo Alto, California.
authors.forename: Nikita
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Joshi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002637:Chest Pain; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008478:Mediastinal Emphysema / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems; D014463:Ultrasonography
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