Munchausen syndrome revealed by subcutaneous limb emphysema: a case report.

Author: Koufagued, K., Chafry, B., Benyass, Y., Abissegue, Y., Benchebba, D., Bouabid, S., & Belkacem, C.

Source:
Journal of medical case reports, 9(1), 172.
Introduction Limb subcutaneous emphysema secondary to a Munchausen syndrome represents a rare and severe entity because it involves the functional prognosis of the limb and vital prognosis of the patient. Case presentation We report the case of an 18-year-old Moroccan woman patient who presented to our hospital with a subcutaneous emphysema of the shoulder girdle and the right arm, caused by our patient. Treatment was aggressive, with a wide surgical debridement, parenteral antibiotic therapy and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. The results have been favorable. Conclusions The correlation of anamnestic data and clinical and para-clinical exams were essential for the diagnosis of Munchausen syndrome in this case. In this regard, we report a rare case of subcutaneous limb emphysema secondary to Munchausen syndrome.