Pneumomediastinum and Subcutaneous Emphysema in the Neck, Axilla, and Chest Regions in a Patient with Olfactory Neuroblastoma Treated with Chemoradiotherapy

Radha Kesarwani; Seema Pandey; Anil Kumar Maurya; Virendra Singh

doi:10.4103/ijmpo.ijmpo_85_17

Indian Journal of Medical and Paediatric Oncology, Table of Contents

CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Indian J Med Paediatr Oncol 2018; 39(04): 524-526
DOI: 10.4103/ijmpo.ijmpo_85_17

Practitioner Section

Pneumomediastinum and Subcutaneous Emphysema in the Neck, Axilla, and Chest Regions in a Patient with Olfactory Neuroblastoma Treated with Chemoradiotherapy

Radha Kesarwani

Department of Radiotherapy and Radiodiagnosis, Moti Lal Nehru Medical College, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India

,

Seema Pandey

Department of Radiotherapy and Radiodiagnosis, Moti Lal Nehru Medical College, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India

,

Anil Kumar Maurya

Department of Radiotherapy and Radiodiagnosis, Moti Lal Nehru Medical College, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India

,

Virendra Singh

Department of Radiotherapy and Radiodiagnosis, Moti Lal Nehru Medical College, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India

› Author Affiliations

Abstract

Spontaneous pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema in the neck, axilla, and chest do not commonly occur after neoadjuvant cisplatin/etoposide chemotherapy, followed by radiotherapy, and adjuvant cisplatin/etoposide chemotherapy in patients with olfactory neuroblastoma. There are few case reports of pneumomediastinum induced by and occurring during bleomycin/etoposide/cisplatin chemotherapy in testicular cancer. The present case differs from the previous cases in that our patient developed spontaneous pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema in the neck, axilla, and chest approximately 2 months after completion of chemoradiotherapy for olfactory neuroblastoma. These conditions may have been treatment induced or caused by breath-holding after forceful inspiration. The latter would have created a massive pressure gradient between the alveoli and surrounding structures, causing alveolar rupture, and subsequent passage of air into the mediastinum and subcutaneous tissue of the neck, axilla, and chest.

Keywords

cisplatin - etoposide - mediastinum - radiotherapy - subcutaneous emphysema

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References

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