The American surgeon
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The American surgeon · Jan 1981
Case ReportsMassive subcutaneous emphysema: an unusual presentation of jejunal perforation.
Massive diffuse subcutaneous emphysema resulting from perforation of the proximal jejunum is presented. Seventy-nine reported instances of subcutaneous emphysema of gastrointestinal origin were reviewed. Emphysema originating from the jejunum has not been previously reported. ⋯ The pathogenesis of emphysema in the patient described, as well as in the great majority of other patients, is from intraluminal gas rather than from gas-forming organisms. The air spreads along neurovascular bundles and other anatomic planes and may rapidly reach areas distant from the perforation. The recognition of these phenomena in the diagnosis of gastrointestinal perforation is important.