ArticleInternational journal of surgery case reports2020
The enigma of asymptomatic idiopathic pneumoperitoneum: A dangerous trap for general surgeons.
Article in International journal of surgery case reports, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 17 citations in OpenAlex.
- Idiopathic benign pneumoperitoneum: a case series.Journal of surgical case reports · 2026Article
- Article
- When Air Is Not an Emergency: Using Intraperitoneal Sevoflurane to Rule Out Perforation.Cureus · 2026Article
- Pneumoperitoneum Following Perineal Air Insufflation can be Managed Conservatively.European journal of case reports in internal medicine · 2026Article
- Not All Free Air Needs a Scalpel: A Case of Spontaneous Pneumoperitoneum in a Patient With Asthma.Cureus · 2025Article
- Conservative management in a spontaneous pneumoperitoneum post breast augmentation and abdominoplasty: a rare case report.Journal of surgical case reports · 2025Article
- Idiopathic pneumoperitoneum after gynecological surgery: a report of two clinical cases.Journal of surgical case reports · 2024Article
- Navigating Asymptomatic Idiopathic Pneumoperitoneum: A Case Report and a Literature Review.Cureus · 2024Article
- Incidental pneumoperitoneum due to pneumatosis intestinalis: A rare case of benign pneumoperitoneum.International journal of surgery case reports · 2024Article
- Spontaneous pneumoperitoneum presenting as an acute abdomen.Journal of surgical case reports · 2024Article
- Pneumoperitoneum: always a surgical case?Journal of surgical case reports · 2023Article
- Idiopathic Nonsurgical Pneumoperitoneum in Healthy Individuals after Endoscopy: Coincidence or Consequence?Case reports in gastrointestinal medicine · 2022Article
- Management of incidentally detected idiopathic pneumoperitoneum: A case report and literature review.International journal of surgery case reports · 2021Article
- Asymptomatic pneumoperitoneum or pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis? Easy to make a mistake.Journal of surgical case reports · 2021Article
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionIdiopathic pneumoperitoneum is an extremely rare condition that can easily be misdiagnosed as an acute abdomen. Awareness of this phenomenon can help avoid unnecessary surgical intervention and the potential associated morbidities. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 76 year old man presented to hospital with dyspnoea and productive cough and was diagnosed with an infective exacerbation of COPD. He subsequently had a CTPA which showed a significant amount of free intraperitoneal gas in the upper abdomen. He was completely asymptomatic from this with no abdominal pain, distension, or significant rise in inflammatory markers. Of note, he had never had previous abdominal surgery or endoscopic procedures. He showed no signs of peritonism and was closely observed with serial abdominal examinations for 24 h. He subsequently tolerated oral intake and was discharged 8 days after admission. DISCUSSION: Spontaneous pneumoperitoneum can be due to a variety of intrathoracic, gynaecologic, intra-abdominal and iatrogenic causes. This is a rare case of asymptomatic idiopathic pneumoperitoneum where no clear aetiology or risk factors were found for his free intraperitoneal gas. To the best of our knowledge there have only been two published case reports in the English literature describing idiopathic pneumoperitoneum in a patient that was completely asymptomatic from it.
conclusionAs a general surgeon it is important to be aware of the non-surgical causes of pneumoperitoneum. Knowledge of this uncommon condition may help reduce the risk of unnecessary laparotomy.
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