3. DIAGNOSIS
Pleuritic chest pain
Acute-onset dyspnea
Decreased breath sounds on affected side
www.medicinemcq.com 3
4. Plain x-ray
Usually diagnostic
Expiratory film
• May demonstrate small pneumothoraces that are
not visible on inspiratory films
Only slightly more sensitive than inspiratory
films
Not routinely recommended
www.medicinemcq.com 4
5. Chest CT
To identify associated pathology
Differentiate pneumothorax from
emphysematous blebs
www.medicinemcq.com
5
9. Types
Traumatic
• Penetrating or nonpenetrating chest injuries
Spontaneous
• Without trauma to the thorax
Primary spontaneous
• No underlying lung disease
Secondary spontaneous
• Underlying lung disease present
www.medicinemcq.com 9
10. Primary spontaneous
pneumothorax
Due to rupture of apical pleural blebs
• Small cystic spaces that lie within, or
immediately under, the visceral pleura
Almost exclusively in smokers
50% will have a recurrence
www.medicinemcq.com
10
14. Treatment
Simple aspiration
Thoracoscopy with stapling of blebs and
pleural abrasion
• If the lung does not expand with aspiration
• Recurrent pneumothorax
100% successful in preventing recurrences
For rest of the slides, visit www.medicinemcq.com > Respiratory System
14
Notes de l'éditeur
Bullous disease of the lungs- Numerous thin-walled, air-containing structures that represent the walls of numerous bullae. The lineal densities are characteristic for bullae on conventional radiography.
CT scan on the same patient shows the same thin-walled bulla
