Symptomatic Pneumomediastinum Following Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: A Case Report and a Literature Review

Isolated pneumomediastinum is a rare complication after laparoscopic procedures. Herein, we present a case of a 38-year-old woman who presented two days after laparoscopic cholecystectomy with pleuritic chest pain and dyspnea and was found to have isolated pneumomediastinum. The patient was admitted for monitoring, oxygen therapy, and antibiotic prophylaxis and she was discharged on the fourth postoperative day when her symptoms resolved both subjectively and radiologically. Only two other cases of symptomatic isolated pneumomediastinum after laparoscopic cholecystectomy were reported in the literature and all of them were female patients, diagnosed radiologically, and treated conservatively. Therefore, isolated pneumomediastinum should be included in the differential diagnosis of dyspnea and chest pain after laparoscopic surgeries in order to have an early diagnosis, start early treatment, and prevent unnecessary investigations or advancement of the disease.