Korean J Med > Volume 77(5); 2009 > Article
The Korean Journal of Medicine 2009;77(5):1153-1156.
Subcutaneous emphysema, pneumomediastinum and pneumoperitoneum after colonoscopy
Jung Kwon Huh, Hee Sun No, Hee Hwan Lim, Jung Hoon Kim, You Cheoul Kim, Cheol Hyeon Kim, Jae Cheol Lee
대장내시경 후 발생한 피하기종, 기종격동 및 기복증
허정권·노희선·임희완·김정훈·김유철·김철현·이재철, Hee Sun No, Hee Hwan Lim, Jung Hoon Kim, You Cheoul Kim, Cheol Hyeon Kim, Jae Cheol Lee
Abstract
Colonoscopy is an essential tool to investigate and to manage intraluminal lesions of the colon and has been considered safe although a perforation as a complication of this procedure is often associated with serious morbidity. A 56-year-old woman had a colonoscopic biopsy for a suspicion of colon cancer. After the procedure, the patient complained of neck swelling and abdominal distension and pain. A chest X-ray and abdominal computed tomography scan showed subcutaneous emphysema, pneumomedistinum and pneumoperitoneum. If the colon perforates into the retroperitoneum, air can travel to the mediastinum and subcutaneous tissue as the fascial planes of the cervical soft tissues are in continuity with those of the mediastinum and through the diaphragmatic hiatus with the retorperitoneal soft tissue space. We report here a rare case of subcutaneous emphysema, pneumomediastinum and pneumoperitoneum that developed after a colonoscopic biopsy. (Korean J Med 77:S1153-S1156, 2009)
Key Words: Subcutaneous emphysema; Mediastinal emphysema; Pneumoperitoneum; Colonoscopy


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