MEDICAL INSIDER
DR. RIA MASLOG
FOR AUG. 13, 2023
Pneumothorax
Pneumothorax is the accumulation of extrapulmonary air within
the chest.
This condition may be primary or secondary and may be
spontaneous, traumatic, iatrogenic and or catamenial.
Catamenial pneumothorax is an unusual condition associated
with menses and may result from the passage of intra abdominal
air through diaphragmatic defects.
Clinically, the onset is usually abrupt and the severity of
symptoms depends on the sextant of the lung collapse and on the
amount of pre-existing lung disease.
Affected individuals will have pain, dyspnea and cyanosis. In
children, the following are seen, though oftentimes in infancy, it is
difficult to recognize:
- respiratory distress
- retractions
- decreased breath sounds over the involved lung
- when fluid is present there are gurgling sounds
It is important to know whether the pneumothorax is under tension
because this condition limits expansion of the contralateral lung
and may compromise venous return.
The diagnosis of this condition may be established by
roentgenographic examination.
Some of the causes of pneumothorax include the following:
- arising as a complication of an underlying lung disorder
- in pneumonia
- pulmonary abcess, gangrene, infarct, rupture of a cyst
- foreign bodies in the lungs