Pneumoperitoneum or Chilaiditi’s sign

• Main Authors: Teoh See Wie, Mimi Omar, Poonggothai S Periasamy, Liew Su May, Gnana Kumar A/L P Gnanasuntharam
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Academy of Family Physicians of Malaysia 2016-11-01
• Series: Malaysian Family Physician
• Subjects: Chilaiditi’s sign; pneumoperitoneum; primary care Malaysia
• Online Access: http://e-mfp.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/pneumoperitoneum-or-chilaiditi%E2%80%99s-sign.pdf
• ISSN: 1985-2274

Chilaiditi’s sign describes the incidental radiographic finding of the bowel positioned between the right diaphragm and the liver. This is often misdiagnosed as pneumoperitoneum or free air under the diaphragm, which may lead to unnecessary investigations or surgical procedures. Here, we report two incidental chest radiograph findings of air under the diaphragm in patients who were being screened for pulmonary tuberculosis. This case series highlights the importance of awareness of the diagnosis of Chilaiditi’s sign to avoid unnecessary hospital referrals.