Emphysema can develop in the maxillofacial region after root canal treatment, laser therapy, or the use of air turbine handpiece, but it spontaneously disappears in many cases. When such emphysema occurs, computed tomography (CT) is useful for determining the extent of the condition.
Here, we report a case of widespread emphysema that developed after surgery for tongue cancer and a thyroid tumor.
The patient was an 87-year-old female with tongue cancer and thyroid neoplasms, who underwent tracheotomy, bilateral neck dissection, thyroid neoplasm resection, and lingual reconstruction.
At 4 days after the operation, swelling occurred in both the buccal and neck regions.
CT showed that pneumatic spaces were widely distributed throughout the maxillofacial fascial spaces, anterior neck, and chest.
We left the surgical wound open, and an antimicrobial agent was administered. As a result, the patient's emphysema disappeared.
In the present case, exhaled air passed directly into the cervical dissection wound from the trachea incision, resulting in widespread emphysema.
