Massive subcutaneous and mediastinal emphysema with little pneumothorax treated by surgery after pulmonary radiofrequency ablation

摘要

Pulmonary radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is one of the treatment options for primary and metastatic lung tumors and has had minimal procedure-related complications [1]. The most frequent complication related to pulmonary RFA is pneumothorax [2]; mediastinal emphysema is rare. The patient may develop only subcutaneous and mediastinal emphysema, with little pneumothorax. This is a specific clinical condition. Here we describe a case of massive subcutaneous and mediastinal emphysema, with the patient developing little pneumothorax after pulmonary RFA for metastatic lung tumors. The complication was treated by surgical suture closure of the fistula in lung parenchyma after an unsuccessful attempt to inject liquid embolization material under computed tomography (CT)-guided navigation.