Cutaneous emphysema and craniocervical bone pneumatization.

We report a case of pneumatization of the upper cervical spine and the craniocervical junction, including the occipital bone, accompanied by extensive soft tissue emphysema. There was no history of trauma or surgery. Follow-up X-ray and CT demonstrated the development of those changes. A combination of a developmental abnormality and the unusual habit of frequent Valsalva's maneuvers may have led to those findings. Clinical consequences will be discussed.

[1]  H. Schulman,et al.  Vertebral Pneumatocyst: A Case Report , 1996, Spine.

[2]  R. McCarthy,et al.  Surgery of the ear. , 1994, The Veterinary clinics of North America. Small animal practice.

[3]  R. Sener.  Air sinus in the occipital bone. , 1992, AJR. American journal of roentgenology.

[4]  M. Castillo.  Micrencephalia vera: CT findings. , 1992, AJR. American journal of roentgenology.

[5]  Hogg Da.  The development of pneumatisation in the postcranial skeleton of the domestic fowl. , 1984 .

[6]  W. W. Lo,et al.  Pneumatization of the occipital bone as a cause of radiolucent skull lesions. , 1983, AJNR. American journal of neuroradiology.

[7]  G. Beaumont.  The Effects of Exclusion of Air from Pneumatized Bones , 1966, The Journal of Laryngology & Otology.

[8]  D. A. Hogg,et al.  The development of pneumatisation in the postcranial skeleton of the domestic fowl. , 1984, Journal of anatomy.