IMAGES IN EMERGENCY MEDICINE
Pneumopericardium following stab wound
Second Department of General Thoracic Surgery, "Sotiria" General Hospital of Chest Diseases, Athens, Greece
Correspondence to:
Dr T Sakellaridis, 91–95 Antoniou Tritsi, 15238 Halandri, Athens, Greece; sakellaridis_t@yahoo.gr
Accepted 12 July 2008
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
A 42-year-old man was transferred from a psychiatric hospital with thoracic stab wounds after a suicide attempt (fig 1A). Due to patient stability, we performed an emergency computed tomography (CT), revealing the presence of pneumopericardium (fig 1B). The patient was admitted for observation but no surgical intervention was performed. He had an uneventful hospital stay, with spontaneous resorption of the pneumopericardium.
Figure 1 (A) Four stab wounds just below and to the left of the xiphoid process after a suicide attempt. (B) Computed tomography performed in the supine position demonstrating air in the pericardium behind the sternum with no indication of pericardial effusion (arrows).
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Pneumopericardium is an uncommon finding after a number of traumatic and non-traumatic conditions. The clinical presentation varies, depending upon the underlying cause. It is rarely symptomatic, but can present with dyspnoea, precordial pain, or as cardiac tamponade. A plain chest radiograph may show the
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