편도아데노이드 절제술 후 발생한 경부 및 안면 피하기종 1예

Although tonsillectomy is considered a relatively safe surgical procedure, numerous complications have been described. The common complications are hemmorrhage, infection, and, following anesthesia, aspiration, cardiac arrhythmia, and laryngeal trauma. Subcutaneous emphysema and pneumomediastinum are rare complications of tonsillectomy. Treatment is generallly expectant, and involves frequent assessment of the airway and extent of the emphysema. We report a patient in whom subcutaneous emphysema developed shortly after a tonsillectomy with a review of the related literature. (J Clinical Otolaryngol 2004;15:307-310)