What is it about?
A case of lung micro-rupture caused by oral sex is used to illustrate the role of CT scan interpretation in telling apart different types of air leakage in the chest (pneumomediastinum). Certain clues on CT scan can be used to show whether the air has come from lung leakage or from the more dangerous rupture of the esophagus.
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Why is it important?
The treatment of pneumomediastinum hinges upon the origin of the air, such as whether it came from leaking lung tissues or a tear in the esophagus, which are treated very differently.
Perspectives
This is an alarming case of sex gone wrong, but it illustrates an excellent learning point for pulmonologists that will help them manage cases of spontaneous pneumomediastinum.
Derek Russell
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Searching for the Source of the Leak: PIE and the Macklin Effect, Annals of the American Thoracic Society, November 2018, American Thoracic Society,
DOI: 10.1513/annalsats.201803-200cc.
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