Traumatic pneumomediastinum caused by isolated blunt facial trauma: a case report

Traumatic pneumomediastinum is most often identified as an incidental finding in the setting of blunt or penetrating neck, chest, or abdominal trauma. There are only a few cases in the medical literature of a pneumomediastinum following isolated facial trauma. We present a patient who sustained fractures of the lateral and anterior walls of the right maxillary sinus, floor of the right orbit, and right zygomatic arch. Subcutaneous emphysema overlaid the right facial region and extended to the left side of the neck and into the mediastinum. We describe this unusual complication with respect to the anatomic relations of the facial and cervical fascial planes and spaces with the mediastinum.