Air everywhere: colon perforation after colonoscopy.
Colonoscopy is being widely used since the 1980s and is the leading diagnostic procedure for colorectal cancer. For many colorectal diseases, it is also a therapeutic tool. Like many other procedures in Medicine, it has its drawbacks and complications, some of which if not readily diagnosed can represent a serious risk to the patient's health and well-being. We describe a case of colon perforation during diagnostic colonoscopy in a patient, resulting in exuberant pneumoretroperitoneum, pneumoperitoneum, pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema, who successfully underwent laparoscopic colonic resection with primary anastomosis. There are only a few cases of combined intraperitoneal and retroperitoneal perforations described in the literature.
Hospital Sao Francisco Xavier, Lisboa, Portugal.
Ana Virgínia
AV
Araújo
Hospital Sao Francisco Xavier, Lisboa, Portugal.
Cláudia
C
Santos
Hospital Sao Francisco Xavier, Lisboa, Portugal.
Helena
H
Contente
Hospital Sao Francisco Xavier, Lisboa, Portugal.
Cláudia
C
Branco
D000368:Aged; D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical; D012809:Colon, Sigmoid / Q000601:surgery; D003113:Colonoscopy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007416:Intestinal Perforation / Q000209:etiology*; D010535:Laparoscopy; D008478:Mediastinal Emphysema / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D011027:Pneumoperitoneum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D012187:Retroperitoneal Space; D012188:Retropneumoperitoneum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D013352:Subcutaneous Emphysema / Q000209:etiology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed