Periorbital Emphysema due to Coughing after a Sportsrelated Facial Injury: A Case Report

Shigemori Y, Matsumoto J, Oshiro S and Inoue T

Department of Neurological Surgery, National Fukuoka-Higashi Medical Center, Japan
Department of Neurological Surgery, Fukuoka University, Faculty of Medicine, Japan

^*Correspondance to: Yutaka Shigemori 

 PDF  Full Text DOI: 10.25107/2474-1647.1013

Abstract

Bone fractures of the face often occur due to sports injuries. However, there is no literature describing asymptomatic facial injuries. Here we report an asymptomatic facial bone fracture following a sports-related facial injury, in which periorbital emphysema was caused by coughing. This is the case of an 18 year-old man who experienced orbital swelling of the face after coughing. He had no significant medical history, but he did have a history of a sport-related injury. He had been playing baseball when a ball had hit him in the face. Computed tomography (CT) of the head revealed a fracture of the left orbital floor. We put him on a course of prophylactic antibiotics for 5 days. On the day following the injury, the orbital emphysema decreased and the swelling disappeared. We presumed that the increased intramaxillary pressure permitted subsequent air flow under the periosteum of the left orbit. Therefore, the left orbit was inflicted with a sudden and marked appearance of emphysema after coughing. This case clearly demonstrates that patients must be carefully evaluated in asymptomatic sports-related facial injuries.

Keywords

Prophylactic antibiotics; Periorbital emphysema; Computed tomography (CT)

Cite the article

Shigemori Y, Matsumoto J, Oshiro S, Inoue T. Periorbital Emphysema due to Coughing after a Sports-related Facial Injury: A Case Report. Clin Surg. 2016; 1: 1013.