Subcutaneous emphysema of the thorax heralding colonic perforation

Subcutaneous emphysema of the thorax may follow thoracic operations for a number of essentially benign reasons and does not usually cause much concern to the thoracic surgeon. We report subcutaneous emphysema of the thorax heralding a retroperitoneal colonic perforation in a patient who had undergone coronary artery bypass grafting 3 days previously.