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Subcutaneous emphysema of the neck in infancy: under-recognized presentation of child abuse

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 March 2006

Padmanabhan Ramnarayan
Affiliation:
Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, St Mary's Hospital, London, UK.
Asad Qayyum
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery, St Mary's Hospital, London, UK.
Neil Tolley
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery, St Mary's Hospital, London, UK.
Simon Nadel
Affiliation:
Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, St Mary's Hospital, London, UK.

Abstract

Two cases of subcutaneous emphysema of the neck as a result of abuse in infancy are presented to add to the variety of findings associated with the maltreatment of infants. Pharyngeal perforations as a result of abuse are rare. These cases are presented as a reminder to the attending clinician that although most cases of subcutaneous emphysema may resolve without any complications a detailed examination for the cause should be performed and the history carefully verified.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© Royal Society of Medicine Press Limited 2004

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