Emphysematous cystitis is a potentially life-threatening condition characterized by the amassing of gas within the wall of the bladder, as a result of infection by gas-forming organisms. However, the amassing of gas in the wall of the bladder does not always result from an infectious etiology. Here we report the case of a patient diagnosed with lung cancer and treated with chemotherapy, where there was air within the bladder wall accompanied by pneumoperitoneum. The presence of an infectious etiology was not clear, and the patient responded successfully to medical treatment. Although emphysematous cystitis is the most common diagnosis, the presence of gas within the wall of the bladder is a sign and not a disease per se. In our opinion, the case displays similar characteristics to those of pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis, and for this reason we refer to it as bladder pneumatosis.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.