Pneumopericardium in a Patient with Buccal Cancer and Cavitated Lung Metastasis

Chang, Rei-Yeuh
Chan, Ting-Tat
Ng, Yu-Bun

Received: March 24, 2008 Accepted: May 6, 2008

¹Graduate Institute of Natural Healing Sciences, Nanhua University;

²Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine; ³Department of Family Medicine; ⁴Department of Radiology, Chia-Yi Christian Hospital, Chia-Yi, Taiwan.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Dr. Rei-Yeuh Chang, Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chia-Yi Christian Hospital, 539, Jhongsiao Road, Chiayi 60002, Taiwan. Tel: 886-5-276-5041 ext. 7354; Fax: 886-5-277-4511; E-mail: [email protected]

Acta Cardiologica Sinica 25(2):p 105-108, June 2009.

Pneumopericardium is a rare disorder having traumatic and non-traumatic causes. Penetrating or blunt chest trauma and iatrogenic complications associated with surgery, endoscopic procedures or positive pressure ventilation are major causes. Spontaneous pneumopericardium caused by cancer invasion is very rare. We present a 46-year-old man with buccal cancer and cavitated lung metastasis, in which pneumopericardium was found by chest X-ray. A chest CT scan showed multiple cavitary lesions of both lungs with broncho-cavity and cavity-pericardium communication which may be one of possible mechanisms of spontaneous pneumopericardium in this case.