Pneumomediastinum and pneumothorax after orthognathic surgery -A case report-

The occurrences of pneumomediastinum and pneumothorax after oral and/or maxillofacial surgery are rare, but both are potentially life-threatening complications. Most of the cases that present pneumomediastinum and pneumothorax in the oral and/or maxillofacial surgery result from air dissecting down...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Taehwa Kim, Jin Yun Kim, Young Cheol Woo, Sun Gyoo Park, Chong Wha Baek, Hyun Kang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Korean Society of Anesthesiologists 2010-12-01
Series:Korean Journal of Anesthesiology
Subjects:
Online Access:http://ekja.org/upload/pdf/kjae-59-S242.pdf
Description
Summary:The occurrences of pneumomediastinum and pneumothorax after oral and/or maxillofacial surgery are rare, but both are potentially life-threatening complications. Most of the cases that present pneumomediastinum and pneumothorax in the oral and/or maxillofacial surgery result from air dissecting down the fascial planes of the neck. We report a case of a 23-year-old male patient who underwent bilateral sagittal split ramus osteotomy under general anesthesia and developed pneumomediastinum and pneumothorax without any traumatic introduction of air through the cervical fascia three days postoperatively. The possible causes and its prevention are discussed with a review of the relevant literature.
ISSN:2005-6419
2005-7563