Colon Barotrauma Caused by Compressed Air

Abstract

away, the patient experienced pain in the acute lower abdo-men and anus, and was admitted to the emergency room. At admission, his blood pressure was 120/70 mmHg, pulse rate was 74/minute, respiratory rate was 20/minute, and body temperature was 36.6 o C. On physical examination, the abdomen was slightly distended and bowel sounds were decreased. He was examined mild to moderate direct tender-ness diffused from the low abdomen, but no rebound tender-ness. He did not experience symptoms of nausea, vomiting or no complaining desire to defecate. On a digital rectal exami-nation, it was seen as scanty rectal bleeding. On laboratory blood tests, white blood cell count was 13.3×10 9 /L (neutro-phils 85.3%), hemoglobin 14.4 g/dL and the others were not clinically significant. Abdomen X-ray showed visible dilated colon and no free air in the peritoneal cavity (Fig. 1A, B). Im-mediately, computed tomography was performed to exam colon perforation. It revealed segmental wall thickening from the rectum to the sigmoid colon, without perforation (Fig. 1C, D). On an urgent sigmoidoscopy, multiple linear ulcers were noted from the area of the rectum to the sigmoid colon (20 cm from anal verge) (Fig. 2). The patient was under conser-vative treatments of antibiotics and hydrations intravenously, keeping the non per os status. A follow-up sigmoidoscopy after one weak of the treatments showed improvement of the previous lesions presented on the distal colon (Fig. 3). The patient was discharged without any further complications.