Current Thoracic Surgery 2019 , Vol 4 , Issue 3
Pneumoretroperitoneum, pneumomediastinum, pneumothorax and subcutaneous emphysema after diagnostic colonoscopy
Önder Kavurmacı1,Asuman Akın Türker1,Bülent Alkan2,Orhan Üreyen3,Mehmet Tahsin Tekeli3
1Department of Thoracic Surgery, Bozyaka Training and Research Hospital, Izmir Turkey
2Department of Gastroenterology, Bozyaka Training and Research Hospital, Izmir Turkey
3Department of General Surgery, Bozyaka Training and Research Hospital, Izmir Turkey
DOI : 10.26663/cts.2019.00129 Viewed : 4151 - Downloaded : 1099 Colonoscopy is a safe procedure and in less than 1% of the patients, colonic perforation may be seen. Physical examination findings such as pain and distension of the abdomen are well-known symptoms however, dyspnea and tachypnea are seen in only a small number of cases as a sign of iatrogenic colon perforation. In this report, we present a 70-year-old female patient with iatrogenic pneumoperitoneum, pneumomediastinum, subcutaneous emphysema and bilateral pneumothorax after diagnostic colonoscopy. The patient was successfully treated with endoscopic colon repair and left tube thoracostomy. When atypical findings are present such as dyspnea and subcutaneous emphysema, iatrogenic pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum should be kept mind after colonoscopy. Keywords : colonoscopy, dyspnea, pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum, subcutaneous emphysema