Mediastinal emphysema in a 16-year-old boy is not serious if it is mild and has no accompanying symptoms, and most of it absorbs on its own; if mediastinal emphysema affects respiration and circulation, it is a serious condition.
If the mediastinal emphysema is mild, the symptoms are not obvious, and the amount of gas on X-ray is small, most of it can be self-absorbed through conservative treatment, which is a non-serious situation.
If the mediastinal emphysema is large, accompanied by chest pain, dysphagia, nausea and vomiting, dyspnea, and even coma, it is necessary to control the primary disease in time, and if necessary, surgical treatment, which is a serious situation.
When you find a boy with mediastinal emphysema, bring your child to the hospital promptly so that the doctor can determine whether it is serious or not based on imaging tests and clinical symptoms, and further guide the treatment.