The clicking chest: what exactly did Hamman hear? A case report of a left-sided pneumothorax.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Hamman's sign is a rare phenomenon. Louis Hamman described this pathognomonic clicking chest noise in association with pneumomediastinum in 1937. This typical noise can also be present in left-sided pneumothorax. Clinical cases already mention this pericardial knock in 1918 in gunshot wounds of the left chest and in 1928 in cases of spontaneous left-sided pneumothorax. However, the sound itself has only rarely been recorded.

Case summary

We describe a case of a young man with no significant medical history who was referred to the hospital with chest pain and audible clicks, documented with his smartphone. Imaging studies including chest radiograph and computed tomography scan revealed a left-sided pneumothorax. The patient underwent semi-urgent insertion of a thor

SUBMITTER: Jimidar N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7793154 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature