Simultaneous occurrence of pneumothorax and pneumoperitoneum is a rare event, usually related to traumas or surgical procedures involving the diaphragm. However, clinicians should be aware of the possible onset of these two clinical conditions even in patients without a recent clinical history that can clearly explain them. Cross-sectional imaging techniques are of great importance, providing crucial information about the patient's clinical status and guiding the following patient management. This work describes a unique case of a sudden occurrence of simultaneous pneumothorax and pneumoperitoneum in a previous asymptomatic man with a solely clinical history of minor trauma during childhood, evaluated through a multimodality imaging approach and treated with video-assisted thoracoscopy surgery.
Keywords: Computed Tomography; Diaphragmatic injury; Pneumoperitoneum; Pneumothorax.
© 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of University of Washington.