ABSTRACT

Pneumoperitoneum is used to describe the presence of free gas within the peritoneal cavity. In the majority of cases (85-90%) it is the result of perforation of an intrabdominal viscus and required emergency laparotomy. In the 10-15% of patients, there is no viscus perforation and this group is termed ‘nonsurgical’, ‘spontaneous’ or ‘idiopathic’ pneumoperitoneum. In this report we presented a 73-yearold woman who was admitted to the intensive care unit with respiratory failure due to chronic obstructive respiratory disease and pneumonia who developed masive pneumoperitoneum during mechanical ventilation.

Keywords: Pneumoperitoneum, spontaneous, nonsurgical, idiopathic, mechanical ventilation