DESCRIPTION

A 4-year-old boy presented with left-sided face and neck swelling that started soon after blowing up balloons. He also had symptoms of mild pain on his left cheek. He was afebrile with no difficulty breathing and no periorbital or lip swelling. On examination, crepitus was elicited over the oedema-tous area on his left-sided cheek and neck, without localised heat, or erythema. Differential diagnoses of facial swelling include allergic or drug reaction, cellulitis or trauma, none of which fit with his pres-entation. He was diagnosed with cervicofacial sub-cutaneous emphysema based on his face and neck X-ray findings (figure 1). The parents were reas-sured of the condition. The patient was discharged with instructions to refrain from performing an