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Postpartum spontaneous pneumomediastinum 'Hamman's syndrome'
1Military Hospital of Tunis, Montfleury, Tunisia. koukisemi@yahoo.fr
Spontaneous pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema (Hamman's syndrome) are rare but potentially dangerous complications of labour. The authors reported a case of a 23-year-old primigravida, admitted to our hospital for delivery after 40 weeks of pregnancy. She delivered a baby of 4.27 kg after 9 h from the start of labour. A few minutes after delivery, the patient developed dyspnoea and chest tightness, which made her doctor suspect pulmonary embolism. A chest X-ray and CT scan revealed pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema. The patient had been followed up for 3 days in our hospital, without specific therapy.
Spontaneous pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema (Hamman's syndrome) are rare but potentially dangerous complications of labour. The authors reported a case of a 23-year-old primigravida, admitted to our hospital for delivery after 40 weeks of pregnancy. She delivered a baby of 4.27 kg after 9 h from the start of labour. A few minutes after delivery, the patient developed dyspnoea and chest tightness, which made her doctor suspect pulmonary embolism. A chest X-ray and CT scan revealed pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema. The patient had been followed up for 3 days in our hospital, without specific therapy.
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