{"title":"Subcutaneous emphysema during surgical gingival depigmentation: a case report.","authors":"Rasha Attia, Neveen Nabil, Maged Anis","doi":"10.1186/s13256-024-04711-z","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Subcutaneous emphysema related to dental procedures is well documented in literature. It usually occurs during or within minutes to hours after dental treatment and can be easily diagnosed by the presence of crepitus on palpation. Although it is self-limiting, it can develop to potentially life-threatening complications.</p><p><strong>Case presentation: </strong>To the authors knowledge, this is the first report documenting the development of subcutaneous emphysema in a 22-year-old Egyptian female during lower surgical gingival depigmentation using NSK high speed, air driven handpiece operated at 0.25 MPa. Sudden swelling developed involving the right side of the face and immediate diagnosis of subcutaneous emphysema was made on the basis of the presence of crepitus during palpation of the swollen area. Intraoral examination revealed small tissue laceration of the loosely attached alveolar mucosa through which the pressurized air might have passed into the fascial spaces. Complete resolution of the swelling occurred after 7 days without further complications.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Straightforward surgical procedures, such as gingival depigmentation, can be complicated by the development of subcutaneous emphysema. The crucial role of dentists is to be aware of its signs and to immediately diagnose and manage it to avoid further complication.</p>","PeriodicalId":16236,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Medical Case Reports","volume":"18 1","pages":"514"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11495045/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Medical Case Reports","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13256-024-04711-z","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"MEDICINE, GENERAL & INTERNAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Subcutaneous emphysema related to dental procedures is well documented in literature. It usually occurs during or within minutes to hours after dental treatment and can be easily diagnosed by the presence of crepitus on palpation. Although it is self-limiting, it can develop to potentially life-threatening complications.
Case presentation: To the authors knowledge, this is the first report documenting the development of subcutaneous emphysema in a 22-year-old Egyptian female during lower surgical gingival depigmentation using NSK high speed, air driven handpiece operated at 0.25 MPa. Sudden swelling developed involving the right side of the face and immediate diagnosis of subcutaneous emphysema was made on the basis of the presence of crepitus during palpation of the swollen area. Intraoral examination revealed small tissue laceration of the loosely attached alveolar mucosa through which the pressurized air might have passed into the fascial spaces. Complete resolution of the swelling occurred after 7 days without further complications.
Conclusion: Straightforward surgical procedures, such as gingival depigmentation, can be complicated by the development of subcutaneous emphysema. The crucial role of dentists is to be aware of its signs and to immediately diagnose and manage it to avoid further complication.
期刊介绍:
JMCR is an open access, peer-reviewed online journal that will consider any original case report that expands the field of general medical knowledge. Reports should show one of the following: 1. Unreported or unusual side effects or adverse interactions involving medications 2. Unexpected or unusual presentations of a disease 3. New associations or variations in disease processes 4. Presentations, diagnoses and/or management of new and emerging diseases 5. An unexpected association between diseases or symptoms 6. An unexpected event in the course of observing or treating a patient 7. Findings that shed new light on the possible pathogenesis of a disease or an adverse effect