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International Expert Consensus and Recommendations for Neonatal Pneumothorax Ultrasound Diagnosis and Ultrasound-guided Thoracentesis Procedure
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International Expert Consensus and Recommendations for Neonatal Pneumothorax Ultrasound Diagnosis and Ultrasound-guided Thoracentesis Procedure

Published on: March 12, 2020

Spontaneous pneumomediastinum in adolescents and children

I-Chen Chen1, Chien-Ming Tseng, Jong-Hau Hsu

  • 1Division of Pediatric Cardiology and Pulmonology, Department of Pediatrics, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

The Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences
|February 4, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Spontaneous pneumomediastinum (SPM) in children, though rare, can be serious. Asthma, breathing difficulties, and emergency visits correlate with longer hospital stays for SPM patients.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Respiratory Medicine
  • Thoracic Surgery
  • Emergency Medicine

Background:

  • Spontaneous pneumomediastinum (SPM) is an uncommon but potentially life-threatening condition in pediatric respiratory disorders.
  • Understanding SPM's causes and clinical course is crucial for effective management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate associations between SPM etiologies, clinical presentations, and patient outcomes.
  • To analyze factors influencing hospital length-of-stay in pediatric SPM cases.
  • To determine the initial misdiagnosis rate of SPM in children.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of medical records and chest films.
  • Study period: January 2004 to December 2007.
  • Inclusion criteria: 23 pediatric patients diagnosed with SPM.

Main Results:

  • Increased hospital length-of-stay was significantly associated with asthma (p=0.035), dyspnea/tachypnea (p=0.01), and emergent visits (p=0.04).
  • Dysphagia showed a trend towards shorter hospital stays (p=0.058).
  • An initial misdiagnosis rate of 21% was observed.

Conclusions:

  • Predisposing factors and clinical manifestations of pediatric SPM are closely related.
  • The high misdiagnosis rate underscores the need for thorough patient evaluation, especially for chest pain.
  • Further research may elucidate specific SPM pathways and improve diagnostic accuracy.

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