Rs. Crausman et al., PULMONARY BAROTRAUMA AS THE CAUSE OF PNEUMORETROPHARYNX IN PULMONARY LYMPHANGIOLEIOMYOMATOSIS, The American journal of emergency medicine, 14(3), 1996, pp. 297-299
A 55-year-old white woman with pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM
) presented to the emergency department with odynophagia and subplatys
mal emphysema after a paroxysm of coughing. Lateral neck films showed
subcutaneous emphysema and a retropharyngeal air stripe. Chest radiogr
aphs showed neither pneumothorax nor pneumomediastinum. Patients with
LAM frequently develop pulmonary barotrauma and pneumothoracies. This
patient, however, had undergone prior bilateral talc pleuradesis as tr
eatment for recurrent pneumothoracies and, thus, could not manifest th
is complication of barotrauma. This case illustrates the uncommon occu
rrence of superior dissection of air after pulmonary barotrauma. (Am J
Emerg Med 1996;14:297-299. Copyright (C) 1996 by W.B. Saunders Compan
y)