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Case Reports
. 2014 May 1;2014(2):18-20.
doi: 10.1093/omcr/omu008. eCollection 2014 May.

Recurrent spontaneous pneumomediastinum in a young female: Hamman's crunch revisited(†)

Uma Devaraj  1 , Priya Ramachandran  1 , George A D'souza  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Recurrent spontaneous pneumomediastinum in a young female: Hamman's crunch revisited(†)

Uma Devaraj et al. Oxf Med Case Reports. .

Abstract

Presence of free air in the mediastinum without any identifiable cause is defined as spontaneous pneumomediastinum (SPM). SPM is more common in young males. The common inciting event leading to SPM are retching, vomiting, acute asthma attack, intense sport activity, inhalation of drugs and weight loss as seen in anorexia nervosa. Analgesics and rest is the mainstay of treatment. Recurrence of SPM is rare. We present a case of recurrent SPM occurring in a young female within few months interval. We also present a brief literature review.

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Figures

Figure 1:
Figure 1:
(a) Chest X-ray: mediastinal emphysema with air around the heart and subcutaneous emphysema seen in the chest wall and left breast. (b) CT scan chest: air around the aorta, trachea and in the left breast. Note the absence of pneumothorax.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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