Delayed pneumomediastinum following oropharyngeal injury: A report of two pediatric cases

Few reports discuss the severity or course of progression of mediastinal emphysema following oropharyngeal trauma. We report two cases of mediastinal emphysema. The first case was of a 3-year-old girl who fell with a toothbrush in her mouth and the second was of a 10-month boy who tripped with a toy stick in his mouth. These patients were stable on initial examination. However, the patient in case one developed a fever and dysphagia 9 h after injury, and the patient in case two had swelled neck and dyspnea requiring intubation 20 h after injury. Both patients were diagnosed with pneumomediastinum via computed tomography. Therefore, it should be noted that although children with oral trauma appear stable immediately after injury, they may develop delayed mediastinal emphysema.