Pneumoperitoneum usually indicates rupture of a hollow viscus and considered a surgical emergency. But air may also enter the peritoneum from the lung or the genital organs in female without visceral perforation. While scuba diving, the rapid ascent is usually controlled by placing in a decompression chamber and the excess gas volume is exhaled. Failure to allow this excess gas to escape will result in overdistension of air passage, which may rupture resulting in pulmonary interstitial emphysema or, if air enters the circulation, air embolus can occur. Pneumo-peritoneum is a rare complication of diving accidents. While the majority of cases are not related to an intraabdominal catastrophy, more than 20% have been the result of gastric rupture. We report a 42-yr-old male patient with massive pneumoperitoneum after scuba diving, who presented himself with dyspnea and abdominal distension. Knowledge of this rare condition and its benign course may allow the emergency physician and surgeon to order appropriate studies to help avoid unnecessary surgical treatment. It is important to determine promptly whether the air emanated from a ruptured viscus or was introduced from an extraperitoneal source. Free air in the abdomen does not always indicate a ruptured intra-abdominal viscus.
Adult ; Diving/adverse effects* ; Female ; Human ; Male ; Pneumoperitoneum/diagnosis* ; Pneumoperitoneum/etiology* ; Radiography, Abdominal ; Radiography, Thoracic

Colonoscopic examination is a safe procedure, however, unexpected complications can sometimes occur. Bleeding and perforation of the colon have been reported as the most common complications. Hemoperitoneum after colonoscopy is an unusual complication, but it may be catastrophic. We report on a 20-year-old man who experienced left low quadrant pain after undergoing colonoscopy. Hemoperitoneum was diagnosed using abdominal CT. A laparoscopic exploration was urgently performed, revealing a lacerated mesocolon of the descending colon. Bleeding of the injured site was controlled without complication. The patient recovered fully without signs of recurrent bleeding. This report implies that if the patient has persistent abdominal pain after undergoing colonoscopy, we should consider hemoperitoneum as one of the causes. To the best of our knowledge, no case of isolated laceration of the mesocolon of the descending colon after colonoscopy has been reported.
Colonoscopy/adverse effects ; Hemorrhage/etiology ; Humans ; Lacerations/*diagnosis/radiography ; Laparoscopy ; Male ; Mesocolon/blood supply ; Pneumoperitoneum/radiography ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Young Adult

Pneumoperitoneum, free intra-abdominal air, usually results from the perforation of a hollow viscous. In approximately 10% of cases, however, pneumoperitoneum is not caused by gastrointestinal perforation. These cases of "spontaneous pneumoperitoneum" generally follow more benign course and may not require surgical intervention. Examples include cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), malrotation, mechanical ventilator support, gynecologic manipulation, blunt abdominal trauma, and chronic intestinal pseudoobstruction in infancy (Sieber syndrome). But, it is extremely rare of spontaneous pneumoperitoneum secondary to idiopathic intestinal pseudoobstuction in adult. We herein report a patient with chronic idiopathic intestinal pseudoobstuction who developed a pneumoperitoneum.
Adult ; Chronic Disease ; Humans ; Intestinal Pseudo-Obstruction/complications/*diagnosis/surgery ; Intestine, Small/pathology ; Male ; Pneumoperitoneum/*diagnosis/etiology/radiography ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis is an uncommon condition of unknown etiology, characterized by the presence of multiple gas filled cysts in the gastrointestinal tract. Many different causes of pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis have been proposed, including mechanical, pulmonary, and bacterial causes. Approximately 85% of cases are thought to be secondary to coexisting disorders of the gastrointestinal tract or the respiratory system. The condition has been associated with the therapeutic uses of lactulose, steroids, and various cancer chemotherapeutic regimens. Lactitol is a disaccharide analogue of lactulose which is available as a pure crystalline powder. There are three previous case reports suggestive of lactulose causing pnumatosis intestinalis. We report a case of recurrent pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis associated with benign recurrent pneumoperitoneum developed probably secondary to lactitol therapy.
Adult ; Cathartics/adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Pneumatosis Cystoides Intestinalis/*diagnosis/etiology/radiography ; Pneumoperitoneum/complications/*diagnosis ; Recurrence ; Sugar Alcohols/adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Gastric lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma is a rare carcinoma among gastric malignant tumor but has a good prognosis. The carcinoma has histologic feature characterized by small nest of cancer cells mixed with lymphoid stroma. We report a case with lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma of stomach initially presenting as panperitonitis because of spontaneous tumor perforation. A 56-year-old man visited our emergency room because of epigastric pain. A preoperative abdominal CT scan showed a massive pneumoperitoneum in the upper abdomen, and the presence of gastric cancer in the lesser curvature of the stomach. An emergent laparotomy was performed followed by radical subtotal gastrectomy. Pathologic examination revealed that the tumor was a lymphoepithelioma-like gastric carcinoma.
Carcinoma/*diagnosis/pathology/therapy ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Humans ; Lymphoma/radiography/surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pneumoperitoneum/etiology/radiography/surgery ; Rupture, Spontaneous ; Stomach Neoplasms/*complications/*diagnosis/pathology/therapy ; Stomach Rupture/*complications/radiography/surgery ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed