A Rare Case Report: Cervical Subcutaneous and Mediastinal Emphysema Due To Mastoid Fracture

Deep subcutaneous cervical emphysema related to mastoid fracture in an adolescent patient ‐ case report

“…Therefore, the amount of exerted force (e.g., severe high-velocity impact), and the extent of mastoid fracture (e.g., large comminuted fracture) can impact the amount of air leaking out of the mastoid, as seen in the published literature. 1,[3][4][5]10 The extent of the injury in our case, though, does not fully correspond to the amount of air dispersed throughout the cervical soft tissue structures. We believe that when the patient blew his nose and performed the Valsalva maneuver, he caused air propagation.…”

“…Subcutaneous cervical emphysema (CSE) due to mastoid fracture is a rare occurrence, with only four reported cases in the English literature to date. 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 The most common pathologies connected with mastoid fractures are CSF leakage and pneumocephalus. 6 In our case study, the injury was caused by blunt force trauma by a hockey puck.…”

“…A standard hockey puck can weigh around 0.16 kg and travel with a speed of around/more than 80 km/h, causing a very high impact force injury. Two of the reported cases include exertion of physical violence with direct hits to the mastoid area being suffered by the patient, 4 , 5 while one case was caused after some accidental sharp object penetration injury. 3 Various reported cases in the published literature regarding head and neck subcutaneous emphysema (SE) formation as a complication of athletic trauma are found.…”

“…Therefore, the amount of exerted force (e.g., severe high‐velocity impact), and the extent of mastoid fracture (e.g., large comminuted fracture) can impact the amount of air leaking out of the mastoid, as seen in the published literature. 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 10 …”

Deep subcutaneous cervical emphysema related to mastoid fracture in an adolescent patient - case report

“…severe high-velocity impact), as well as the extent of mastoid fracture (e.g. comminuted large fracture), can have an impact on the amount of air leaking out the mastoid, as seen in the published literature 1,[3][4][5]10 .…”