Pneumatosis is the abnormal presence of air or other gas within tissues. In the lungs,

emphysema Emphysema is any air-filled enlargement in the body's tissues. Most commonly emphysema refers to the permanent enlargement of air spaces (alveoli) in the lungs, and is also known as pulmonary emphysema. Emphysema is a lower respiratory tract di ...

involves enlargement of the distal airspaces,page 64
in: and is a major feature of

chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a type of progressive lung disease characterized by chronic respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation. GOLD defines COPD as a heterogeneous lung condition characterized by chronic respiratory s ...

(COPD). Other pneumatoses in the lungs are focal (localized) blebs and bullae, pulmonary cysts and cavities.

Pneumoperitoneum Pneumoperitoneum is pneumatosis (abnormal presence of air or other gas) in the peritoneal cavity, a potential space within the abdominal cavity. The most common cause is a perforated abdominal organ, generally from a perforated peptic ulcer, alt ...

(or peritoneal emphysema) is air or gas in the

abdominal cavity The abdominal cavity is a large body cavity in humans and many other animals that contain Organ (anatomy), organs. It is a part of the abdominopelvic cavity. It is located below the thoracic cavity, and above the pelvic cavity. Its dome-shaped roo ...

, and is most commonly caused by

gastrointestinal perforation Gastrointestinal perforation, also known as gastrointestinal rupture, is a hole in the wall of the gastrointestinal tract. The gastrointestinal tract is composed of hollow digestive organs leading from the mouth to the anus. Symptoms of gastroi ...

, often the result of surgery. Pneumarthrosis, the presence of air in a joint, is rarely a serious sign.

Lung cysts

CT of lymphocytic interstitial pneumonia

A lung cyst, or pulmonary cyst, encloses a small volume of air, and has a wall thickness of up to 4 mm. A minimum wall thickness of 1 mm has been suggested, but thin-walled pockets may be included in the definition as well. Pulmonary cysts are not associated with either smoking or emphysema. A

lung cavity A lung cavity or pulmonary cavity is an abnormal, thick-walled, air-filled space within the lung. Cavities in the lung can be caused by infections, cancer, autoimmune conditions, trauma, congenital defects, or pulmonary embolism. The most common ...

has a wall thickness of more than 4 mm.

Other thoracic

Pneumothorax A pneumothorax is collection of air in the pleural space between the lung and the chest wall. Symptoms typically include sudden onset of sharp, one-sided chest pain and dyspnea, shortness of breath. In a minority of cases, a one-way valve is ...

, air or gas in the

pleural space The pleural cavity, or pleural space (or sometimes intrapleural space), is the potential space between the pulmonary pleurae, pleurae of the pleural sac that surrounds each lung. A small amount of serous fluid, serous pleural fluid is maintained ...

Pneumomediastinum Pneumomediastinum (from Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assume ...

, air or gas in the mediastinum ** Also called mediastinal emphysema or pneumatosis/emphysema of the mediastinum

Abdominal

Pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis - low mag

(or peritoneal emphysema), air or gas in the

. The most common cause is a perforated

abdominal viscus In a multicellular organism, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in a structural unit to serve a common function. In the hierarchy of life, an organ lies between tissue and an organ system. Tissues are formed from same type cells to act ...

, generally a perforated

peptic ulcer Peptic ulcer disease is when the inner part of the stomach's gastric mucosa (lining of the stomach), the first part of the small intestine, or sometimes the lower esophagus, gets damaged. An ulcer in the stomach is called a gastric ulcer, while ...

, although any part of the

bowel The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The tract is the largest of the body's systems, after the cardiovascular system. T ...

may perforate from a benign ulcer,

tumor A neoplasm () is a type of abnormal and excessive growth of tissue. The process that occurs to form or produce a neoplasm is called neoplasia. The growth of a neoplasm is uncoordinated with that of the normal surrounding tissue, and persists ...

abdominal trauma Abdominal trauma is an injury to the abdomen. Signs and symptoms include abdominal pain, tenderness (medicine), tenderness, rigidity, and bruise, bruising of the external abdomen. Complications may include blood loss and infection. Diagnosis ma ...

. *

Pneumatosis intestinalis Pneumatosis intestinalis (also called intestinal pneumatosis, pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis, pneumatosis coli, or intramural bowel gas) is pneumatosis of an intestine, that is, gas cysts in the bowel wall. As a radiological sign it is hig ...

, air or gas cysts in the bowel wall * Gastric pneumatosis (or gastric emphysema) is air or gas cysts in the stomach wall

Joints

Pneumarthrosis is the presence of air in a

joint A joint or articulation (or articular surface) is the connection made between bones, ossicles, or other hard structures in the body which link an animal's skeletal system into a functional whole.Saladin, Ken. Anatomy & Physiology. 7th ed. McGraw- ...

. Its presentation on

radiography Radiography is an imaging technology, imaging technique using X-rays, gamma rays, or similar ionizing radiation and non-ionizing radiation to view the internal form of an object. Applications of radiography include medical ("diagnostic" radiog ...

is a

radiolucent Radiodensity (or radiopacity) is opacity to the radio wave and X-ray portion of the electromagnetic spectrum: that is, the relative inability of those kinds of electromagnetic radiation to pass through a particular material. Radiolucency or hypod ...

cleft often called a vacuum phenomenon, or vacuum sign. Pneumarthrosis is associated with

osteoarthritis Osteoarthritis is a type of degenerative joint disease that results from breakdown of articular cartilage, joint cartilage and underlying bone. A form of arthritis, it is believed to be the fourth leading cause of disability in the world, affect ...

and

spondylosis Spondylosis is the degeneration of the vertebral column from any cause. In the more narrow sense, it refers to spinal osteoarthritis, the age-related degeneration of the spinal column, which is the most common cause of spondylosis. The degener ...

. Pneumarthrosis is a common normal finding in shoulders as well as in

sternoclavicular joint The sternoclavicular joint or sternoclavicular articulation is a Synovial joint, synovial Saddle joint, saddle joint between the sternum#Manubrium, manubrium of the sternum, and the clavicle bone, clavicle, and the first costal cartilage. The joi ...

s. It is believed to be a cause of the sounds of

joint cracking Joint cracking is the manipulation of joints to produce a sound and related "popping" sensation. It is sometimes performed by physical therapists, chiropractors, and osteopaths pursuing a variety of outcomes. The cracking mechanism and the resu ...

. It is also a common normal post-operative finding at least after

spinal surgery Neurosurgery or neurological surgery, known in common parlance as brain surgery, is the specialty (medicine), medical specialty that focuses on the surgical treatment or rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system ...

. Pneumarthrosis is extremely rare in conjunction with fluid or pus in a joint, and its presence can therefore practically exclude infection.Page 60
in: File:X-ray of hip prosthesis with pneumarthrosis.jpg,

X-ray An X-ray (also known in many languages as Röntgen radiation) is a form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than those of ultraviolet rays and longer than those of gamma rays. Roughly, X-rays have a wavelength ran ...

of a hip with

hip replacement Hip replacement is a surgery, surgical procedure in which the hip joint is replaced by a prosthetic implant (medicine), implant, that is, a hip prosthesis. Hip replacement surgery can be performed as a total replacement or a hemi/semi(half) repl ...

and pneumarthrosis, in this case aseptic. File:X-ray of shoulder with vacuum sign - annotated.jpg, A vacuum sign, or vacuum phenomenon, is a normal finding on

shoulder The human shoulder is made up of three bones: the clavicle (collarbone), the scapula (shoulder blade), and the humerus (upper arm bone) as well as associated muscles, ligaments and tendons. The articulations between the bones of the shoulder m ...

X-rays.

Other

Subcutaneous emphysema Subcutaneous emphysema (SCE, SE) occurs when gas or air accumulates and seeps under the skin, where normally no gas should be present. ''Subcutaneous'' refers to the subcutaneous tissue, and ''emphysema'' refers to trapped air pockets. Since the ...

is found in the deepest layer of the skin. Emphysematous cystitis is a condition of gas in the bladder wall. On occasion this may give rise to secondary subcutaneous emphysema which has a poor prognosis.

Pneumoparotitis Pneumoparotitis (also termed pneumosialadenitis wind parotitis, surgical mumps, or anaesthesia mumps), is a rare cause of parotid gland swelling which occurs when air is forced through the parotid (Stensen) duct resulting in inflation of the duct. ...

is the presence of air in the

parotid gland The parotid gland is a major salivary gland in many animals. In humans, the two parotid glands are present on either side of the mouth and in front of both ears. They are the largest of the salivary glands. Each parotid is wrapped around the m ...

caused by raised air pressure in the mouth often as a result of playing

wind instrument A wind instrument is a musical instrument that contains some type of resonator (usually a tube) in which a column of air is set into vibration by the player blowing into (or over) a mouthpiece set at or near the end of the resonator. The pitch ...

s. In rare cases air may escape from the gland and give rise to subcutaneous emphysema in the face, neck, or mediastinum.

Terminology

The term ''pneumatosis'' has word roots of '' pneumat-'' + ''

-osis OSIS or variant may refer to: OSIS * Open Source Information System * Open Scripture Information Standard * A student council in Indonesia (''Organisasi Siswa Intra Sekolah'') -osis The suffix '' -osis'' is used for forming a number of medical t ...

'', meaning "air problem/injury".

References

External links

{{Authority control Human diseases and disorders