spontaneous pneumothorax

Management of spontaneous pneumothorax.

Management of patients with a spontaneous pneumothorax continues to challenge clinicians. Recent guidelines help provide care pathways for these patients and highlight the many areas in need of additional study. Management options for spontaneous pneumothoraces should be selected based primarily upon a patient's clinical status. Observation or pleural air drainage, in selected patients, plays a...

Simultaneous bilateral spontaneous pneumothorax.

We describe 12 patients with simultaneous bilateral spontaneous pneumothorax (SBSP). They represent 4 percent of patients with spontaneous pneumothorax seen at our hospital from 1971 to 1990. Five of the 12 had no underlying lung disease. In the seven remaining patients, SBSP was secondary to histiocytosis X, lymphangioleiomyomatosis, osteogenic sarcoma with pleural and pulmonary metastases, Ho...

Familial Spontaneous Pneumothorax.

Spontaneous pneumothorax in infancy.

(a) Congenital defects, such as broncho-pleural communication (Folke, 1935), or congenital subpleural vesicles (Kjaergaard, 1932). The pneumothorax may be due to associated anomalies: Miller (1937) recorded a case in which pneumothorax was due to gangrene of the lung resulting from absence of the right pulmonary artery. (b) Mechanical factors: (i) Difficult labour (Ruge, 1878), use of forceps d...

Bilateral simultaneous spontaneous pneumothorax.

Bilateral simultaneous spontaneous pneumothorax, although rare, may constitute a grave emergency when it does occur. Early diagnosis and institution of prompt therapeutic measures may be essential for survival. The great majority of cases of spontaneous pneumothorax involve one lung only and are readily treated by simple aspiration of the air, or by intercostal catheter and water seal drainage....

Simple spontaneous pneumothorax.

Riolan’ (1648), Littre2 (1713), Meckel3 (1759) and others in the 18th and 19th centuries reported air in the pleural cavity following trauma. In 1803 Itard4 called attention to five cases found at necropsy. He coined the term pneumothorax. Laennec (1819) discussed the clinical aspects of this condition and its recognition by physical examination. The writings of these authors alerted physicians...