Spontaneous pneumomediastinum in children: clinical and natural history
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Updated: Oct 7, 2026

Protocol and Guidelines for Point-of-Care Lung Ultrasound in Diagnosing Neonatal Pulmonary Diseases Based on International Expert Consensus
Published on: March 6, 2019
B Dekel1, G Paret, A Szeinberg
1Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, Sheba Medical Centre, Tel Hashomer, Israel.
Unlabelled:
Investigation of the clinical characteristics and natural history of nine children with spontaneous pneumomediastinum (SPM) was conducted at the Tel Aviv University Sheba Medical Centre between 1984 and 1994. Most cases occurred in the setting of a valsalva-type manoeuvre, while symptoms and signs on admission were mainly chest pain, dyspnoea, neck pain, subcutaneous emphysema, and Hamman's sign. Three clinical patterns concerning longterm sequelae were identified: patients without any long-term sequelae, patients with a tendency to airway hyperreactivity and subclinical asthma, and patients in whom SPM was the presenting feature of their asthma.
Conclusion:
Close personal follow up, including pulmonary function tests, should be designed for all children with Spontaneous pneumomediastinum.
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