Síndrome de Hamman: a propósito de un caso / Hamman Syndrome, a case study / Sindrome de Hamman, relato de caso

Introducción: el síndrome de Hamman es la aparición de neumomediastino espontáneo asociado a enfisema, patología poco frecuente en pediatría. Sus síntomas principales son dolor torácico agudo, disnea y enfisema subcutáneo. Objetivo: describir una experiencia clínica en la que se sospechó este síndrome analizando el proceso diagnóstico, estudios complementarios y el tratamiento. Caso clínico: varón de 4 años, con antecedentes personales de laringitis a repetición. Presenta laringitis aguda severa, requirió ventilación no invasiva por 12 horas. A las 24 horas del ingreso instaló de forma brusca estridor inspiratorio, dificultad respiratoria, edema de cuello y cara con crepitación a nivel de cuello y cara anterior del tórax que se fue extendiendo a ambos brazos. Se realiza radiografía de tórax que evidencia enfisema subcutáneo extenso. Se realiza tomografía de cuello y tórax que descarta lesión en vía aérea. Con el planteo de síndrome de Hamman en un niño que presentaba como factor predisponente el episodio de laringitis aguda, se decidió no continuar con estudios complementarios. Se realizó tratamiento fisiopatológico con buena evolución clínica. Alta a la semana del ingreso. Conclusiones: el diagnóstico en la urgencia del neumomediastino espontáneo puede representar un desafío, con una variedad de diagnósticos diferenciales potencialmente mortales. La alta sospecha permitirá realizar una evaluación clínica e imagenológica adecuada que permitan confirmar su diagnóstico y evitar procedimientos invasivos innecesarios.

Introduction: Hamman's syndrome involves the appearance of spontaneous pneumomediastinum associated with emphysema, a rare pathology in pediatrics. Its main symptoms include acute chest pain, dyspnea and subcutaneous emphysema. Objective: to describe a clinical case of this suspected syndrome by analyzing the diagnostic process, supplementary studies, and treatment. Clinical case: 4-year-old male with personal history of repeated laryngitis. He presented severe acute laryngitis, requiring non-invasive ventilation for 12 hours. Twenty-four hours after admission he developed abrupt inspiratory stridency, respiratory distress, neck, and face edema with crepitation at neck level and front of thorax spreading to both arms. A chest X-ray shows extensive subcutaneous emphysema. A neck and chest CT scan rules out airway injury. With the suggestion of Hamman's syndrome in a child who presented acute laryngitis as a predisposing factor the episode, it was decided not to continue with additional studies. Physio-pathological treatment was carried out with good clinical evolution. He was discharged a week after admission. Conclusions: diagnosis of spontaneous pneumomediastinum can be challenging in an emergency setting and having a variety of potentially life-threatening differential diagnoses. High suspicion levels will enable an adequate clinical and imaging assessment to confirm its diagnosis and avoid unnecessary invasive procedures.

Introdução: síndrome de Hammam é o aparecimento de pneumomediastino espontâneo associado ao enfisema, uma patologia rara na pediatria. Seus principais sintomas são dor aguda no peito, dispneia e enfisema subcutâneo. Objetivo: descrever um caso clínico com suspeita dessa síndrome por meio da análise do processo diagnóstico, estudos complementares e tratamento. Caso clínico: menino de 4 anos com histórico pessoal de laringite recorrente. Teve laringite aguda grave, o que exigiu ventilação não invasiva por 12 horas. Dentro de 24 horas após a internação, instalou-se abruptamente estridor inspirador, dificuldade respiratória, edema do pescoço e rosto com estalos ao nível do pescoço e face anterior do peito, estendido para ambos braços. Raios-x do tórax mostram enfisema subcutâneo extenso. Tomografia do pescoço e tórax exclui lesões nas vias aéreas. Com a sugestão da síndrome de Hammam em uma criança que apresentou como fator predisponente o episódio de laringite aguda, decidiu-se não continuar com estudos complementares. O tratamento fisiopatológico mostrou boa evolução clínica. A alta teve lugar dentro de uma semana da data da internação. Conclusões: o diagnóstico na urgência do pneumomediastino espontâneo pode representar um desafio, além do mais quando existem uma variedade de diagnósticos diferenciais que ameaçam a vida. A alta suspeita permitirá uma avaliação clínica e de imagem adequada para confirmar o diagnóstico e evitar procedimentos invasivos desnecessários.

Neumomediastino espontáneo en paciente con COVID-19 / Sponteneous pneumomediastinum in patient with COVID-19

Introducción: El neumomediastino espontáneo o síndrome Hamman es una complicación poco frecuente y rara. Se define como la presencia de aire o gas dentro del mediastino sin una causa identificada. Objetivo: Presentar un caso clínico con una complicación poco frecuente, neumomediastino espontáneo, en un paciente con enfermedad por COVID-2019. Caso clínico: Paciente de 86 años con cuadro clínico manifestado por fiebre de 38o C y síntomas respiratorios (tos con secreción blanquecina, disnea de moderados esfuerzos). Se realiza prueba de reacción en cadena de polimerasa para enfermedad por coronavirus 2019, esta fue positiva. Al cuarto día de su hospitalización concurre con empeoramiento clínico dentro que lo destaca tos y disnea progresiva acompañado con saturación de oxigeno menor a 91 por ciento. Se realizaron estudios imagenológicos de alta resolución (angiotomografía computarizada de tórax) en la cual se evidencia la presencia de neumomediastino. Desarrollo: La pandemia por enfermedad por coronavirus 2019 ha dado lugar a una emergencia de salud pública a nivel mundial, en la que es importante que el personal de la salud esté familiarizados con los síntomas, los resultados de imágenes y con las complicaciones de esta enfermedad, como el neumomediastino encontrado en este caso. Conclusión . El neumomediastino espontáneo es una complicación poco frecuente que se presenta en la fase inflamatoria de esta enfermedad(AU)

Introduction: Spontaneous pneumomediastinum or Hamman syndrome is a rare and infrequent complication. It is defined as the presence of air or gas within the mediastinum without an identified cause. Objective: To report a clinical case of spontaneous pneumomediastinum in a patient with COVID-2019, a disease with a rare complication. Clinical case report: We report the case of an 86-year-old patient with a clinical condicion of fever of 38o C and respiratory symptoms (cough with whitish secretions, dyspnea on moderate exertion). He underwent a polymerase chain reaction test for coronavirus disease 2019, which resulted positive. On the fourth day of his hospitalization, he his clinical condition worsened, including cough and progressive dyspnea accompanied by oxygen saturation less than 91 percent. The presence of pneumomediastinum was revealed by high-resolution imaging studies (computed tomography angiography of the chest). Discussion: The 2019 coronavirus disease pandemic has given rise to a global public health emergency, which requires health personnel to be familiar with symptoms, imaging results, and complications of this disease, such as pneumomediastinum found in this case. Conclution: Spontaneous pneumomediastinum is a rare complication that occurs in the inflammatory phase of this disease(AU)

Diagnostic imaging in acute interstitial pneumonia in foals: High variability of interpretation of chest radiographs and good conformity between ultrasonographic and post-mortem findings.

Acute interstitial pneumonia (AIP) in foals is a rare but challenging syndrome. Diagnostic imaging is crucial for its diagnosis. While there are some reports on radiographic findings, ultrasound is sparsely described. Variability in the evaluation of radiographs in AIP has been well described in human literature. Part one of this study is a prospective, observational, observer agreement study investigating inter- and intraobserver agreement in the assessment of thoracic radiographs. Part two is a prospective, controlled, descriptive study on thoracic ultrasonography in foals with AIP. Eighteen foals with AIP were examined daily by thoracic ultrasound. Thoracic radiographs were taken on three successive occasions. Blinded radiographs were assessed by three observers based on two semi-quantitative scores (pattern recognition, subjective evaluation). Foals that died underwent postmortem examination (n = 9); postmortem findings were compared to ultrasound findings on the day of death. Ultrasonographic findings were consistent with postmortem findings. Comet tail scores in foals with AIP were significantly higher (p < 0.0001) than in control foals. Interrater agreement for the assessment of radiographs was none to moderate (κ = 0.07-0.65) for pattern recognition and weak to moderate (κ = 0.58-0.62) for subjective scoring. Intrarater agreement varied from minimal to strong (κ = 0.30-0.80) for pattern recognition but was strong (κ = 0.83) for subjective scoring. In conclusion, the diagnostic value of thoracic ultrasound in foals with AIP is high due to good conformity with postmortem findings. The evaluation of thoracic radiographs showed high variability in inter- and intra-agreement.

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy-related Pneumonitis: Patterns and Management.

In recent years, the use of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy has rapidly grown, with increasing U.S. Food and Drug Administration approvals of a variety of agents used as first- and second-line treatments of various malignancies. ICIs act through a unique mechanism of action when compared with those of conventional chemotherapeutic agents. ICIs target the cell surface receptors cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4, programmed cell death protein 1, or programmed cell death ligand 1, which result in immune system-mediated destruction of tumor cells. Immune-related adverse events are an increasingly recognized set of complications of ICI therapy that may affect any organ system. ICI therapy-related pneumonitis is an uncommon but important complication of ICI therapy, with potential for significant morbidity and mortality. As the clinical manifestation is often nonspecific, CT plays an important role in diagnosis and triage. Several distinct radiographic patterns of pneumonitis have been observed: (a) organizing pneumonia, (b) nonspecific interstitial pneumonia, (c) hypersensitivity pneumonitis, (d) acute interstitial pneumonia-acute respiratory distress syndrome, (e) bronchiolitis, and (f) radiation recall pneumonitis. Published guidelines outline the treatment of ICI therapy-related pneumonitis based on the severity of symptoms. Treatment is often effective, although recurrence is possible. This article reviews the mechanism of ICIs and ICI therapy complications, with subsequent management techniques and illustrations of the various radiologic patterns of ICI-therapy related pneumonitis.©RSNA, 2019.