Pneumomediastinum historical perspective
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Trusha Tank, M.D.[2]
Overview
Overview
The condition was first described in 1819 by René Laennec. In 1939, Louis Hamman described primary or spontaneous pneumomediastinum which is why it is also known as Hamman’s syndrome. Macklin and Macklin, in 1944 provided a sound explanation for pneumomediastinum, based on experiments conducted on cats: the increase of alveolar pressure causes them to rupture, therefore releasing air which in turn migrates through the peribronchial and perivascular sheaths to the mediastinum.
Historical Perspective
Historical Perspective
Discovery
- The condition was first described in 1819 by René Laennec. [1][2]
- Later in 1939, Louis Hamman described primary or spontaneous pneumomediastinum which is why it is also known as Hamman’s syndrome. He described a post-partum patient with subcutaneous emphysema and pneumomediastinum, a case known in current times as Hamman’s syndrome.[3]
- Macklin and Macklin, in 1944 provided a sound explanation for pneumomediastinum, based on experiments conducted on cats: the increase of alveolar pressure causes them to rupture, therefore releasing air which in turn migrates through the peribronchial and perivascular sheaths to the mediastinum.[4]
References
References
- ↑ Laënnec RTH. De l’auscultation médiate ou Traité du Diagnostic des Maladies des Poumon et du Coeur. 1st ed. Paris: Brosson & Chaudé; 1819.
- ↑ Roguin A (2006). “Rene Theophile Hyacinthe Laënnec (1781-1826): the man behind the stethoscope”. Clinical medicine & research. 4 (3): 230–5. PMID 17048358.
- ↑ Hamman L. Spontaneous mediastinal emphysema. Bull Johns Hopkins Hosp 1939;64:1-21
- ↑ MACKLIN MADGE THURLOW; MACKLIN, CHARLES C. Medicine: December 1944 – Volume 23 – Issue 4 – ppg 281-358
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