Pneumomediastinum From Vacuum Disc and Vertebral Trauma

We present a case of pneumomediastinum associated with an endplate fracture adjacent to a vacuum disc. Pneumomediastinum from trauma can be due to damage to the lungs, airway, or esophagus. In this case, we present a unique complication of the vacuum disc phenomenon in which vertebral injury at the site of a vacuum disc releases gas bubbles into the mediastinum. We believe that compressive forces from the trauma produced a disruption of the annulus fibrosis and forced gas previously sequestered in the intervertebral disc space to escape into the mediastinum.