Pediatric Specialist, Hospital Garcia da Orta, Almada Portugal Lecturer Lisbon Faculty Medicine, University Lisbon, Portugal
Pneumorrhachis is the accumulation of free air around the duramater and is infrequently diagnosed in Pediatric patients. In this presentation, the author describes a clinical case of pneumorrhachis secondary to spontaneous pneumomediastinum in a 15-years-old teenager. Spontaneous pneumomediastinum was most likely related with the patient´s underlying asthma, which became aggravated following a respiratory infection, probably of viral origin. The pneumorrhachis was asymptomatic, and its diagnosis was made through computed tomography, performed following the diagnosis of pneumomediastinum. As the description of the clinical case follows, the author will review the etiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of this infrequent clinical condition in pediatric patients.