Published online Sep 26, 2022. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v10.i27.9904
Peer-review started: May 12, 2022
First decision: June 16, 2022
Revised: June 22, 2022
Accepted: August 21, 2022
Article in press: August 21, 2022
Published online: September 26, 2022
Processing time: 126 Days and 22.2 Hours
Dental extraction is a common operation in oral surgery and is usually accompanied by pain, swelling, and local infection. The application of high-speed air turbines increases the comfort of alveolar surgery and makes it more minimally-invasive. However, high-speed gas can enter the subcutaneous tissue of the face and neck or even the chest and mediastinum, which is a serious iatrogenic complication.
We describe two cases of severe subcutaneous and mediastinal emphysema caused by high-speed turbine splitting during dental extraction. The first case involved a 34-year-old man who complained of swelling of the face, mild chest tightness, and chest pain after dental extraction. Computed tomography (CT) scan showed a large amount of gas in the neck, chest wall, and mediastinum. The second case involved a 54-year-old woman who complained of swelling and pain of the neck after dental extraction. CT showed a large amount of gas collected in the neck and mediastinum. Both of them used high-speed turbine splitting during dental extraction.
High-speed turbine splitting during dental extraction may lead to severe subcutaneous and mediastinal emphysema. Dentists should carefully operate to avoid emphysema. If emphysema occurs, CT can be used to improve the diagnosis. The patient should be informed, and the complications dealt with carefully.
Core Tip: Facial and neck emphysema, especially with mediastinal emphysema, is rare complication in dental treatment. Iatrogenic subcutaneous emphysema is associated with the use of high-speed turbines. Here, we reported two cases of pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema secondary to dental extraction. We want to caution the dentists to be carefully to avoid the emphysema in the dental operate.