Author(s)

Sourou Bruno Noukpozounkou^1*, Yacoubou Imorou Souaibou², Amoussou Sedjro Clotaire Romeo Houegban¹, Houenoukpo Koco¹, Orion Akokpe¹, Michel Armand Fiogbe¹

¹University Clinic of Pediatric Surgery, National University Hospital Center “Hubert Koutoukou Maga”, Cotonou, Benin.
²University Clinic of Visceral Surgery “A”, National University Hospital Center “Hubert Koutoukou Maga”, Cotonou, Benin.

The pneumoperitoneum is the abnormal presence of free air in the peritoneal cavity. In most cases it is related to the perforation of hollow organs. Nevertheless there are cases of pneumoperitoneum without obvious causes called idiopathic. We report a case of massive pneumoperitoneum of radiological discovery in a patient of 16 years old boy, sickle-cell of type SS, during the exploration of an angiocholitis. It was medically treated successfully. No obvious etiology had been found. This particular situation is a dogma which runs up against the classic interventionist spirit; therefore each of pneumoperitoneum needs to be studied case by case. The presence of signs of peritoneal irritation allows surgical exploration. Otherwise, laparoscopy seems to be a minimally invasive surgical method and allows a visual diagnosis by eliminating a hollow organ perforation.

Pneumoperitoneum, Spontaneous, Idiopathic, Laparoscopy

Noukpozounkou, S. , Souaibou, Y. , Houegban, A. , Koco, H. , Akokpe, O. and Fiogbe, M. (2018) Massive Idiopathic Pneumoperitoneum in Children: A Case Report. Open Journal of Pediatrics, 8, 249-254. doi: 10.4236/ojped.2018.83026.