Pneumothorax Causing Pneumoperitoneum: Role of Surgical Intervention

The most common cause of a pneumoperitoneum is a perforation of a hollow viscus and the treatment is an exploratory laparotomy; nevertheless, not all pneumoperitoneums are due to a perforation and not all of them need surgical intervention. We hereby present a case of pneumoperitoneum due to a diaph...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Fernanda Duarte, Jessica Wentling, Humayun Anjum, Joseph Varon, Salim Surani
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Hindawi Limited 2016-01-01
Series:Case Reports in Critical Care
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/4146080
Description
Summary:The most common cause of a pneumoperitoneum is a perforation of a hollow viscus and the treatment is an exploratory laparotomy; nevertheless, not all pneumoperitoneums are due to a perforation and not all of them need surgical intervention. We hereby present a case of pneumoperitoneum due to a diaphragmatic defect, which allowed air from a pneumothorax to escape through the diaphragmatic hernia into the abdominal cavity.
ISSN:2090-6420
2090-6439