Answers :
What can you see on the chest radiograph?
There is a pneumoperitoneum (free gas is seen beneath both hemidiaphragms).
What is the commonest cause ?
Perforation of the bowel (e.g secondary toa gastric ulcer or diverticulitis).
The abdominal film shows a possible cause of the abnormality - what is it ?
There is a Tenckhoff catheter in place for peritoneal dialysis. The patient has no pain so it is possible that the gas has entered the abdomen via the catheter.
Air can persist in the peritoneal cavity afer laparotomy and give a similar appearance.
The patient also has a ring pessary in place.
|
