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Case Reports
. 2009 Sep 1:2:8108.
doi: 10.4076/1757-1626-2-8108.

Periorbital oedema and surgical emphysema, an unusual complication of a dental procedure: a case report

Asif Parkar  1 , Claire Medhurst, Mohammad Irbash, Carl Philpott
Affiliations
Case Reports

Periorbital oedema and surgical emphysema, an unusual complication of a dental procedure: a case report

Asif Parkar et al. Cases J. .

Abstract

Introduction: We report a case of subcutaneous emphysema and periorbital oedema following a dental procedure.

Case presentation: A 55-year-old female who attended Accident and Emergency department with subcutaneous emphysema of the neck and periorbital oedema several hours after having undergone root canal treatment. She was admitted for prophylactic intravenous antibiotics and was discharged the next day with oral antibiotics and recovered completely in about 10 days.

Conclusion: Although there are existing case reports documenting the occurrence of surgical emphysema following dental procedure, there was no literature documenting a case of periorbital oedema. This can be managed with close observation and antibiotic prophylaxis as in this case but it is important that the potential seriousness of such a complications resulting from dental procedures are not overlooked.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Periorbital oedema and facial swelling on left side.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Surgical Emphysema over the face and neck.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Periorbital oedema.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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