Secondary spontaneous pneumothorax: a rare complication of pulmonary embolism
- Resource Type
- Authors
- Colin George Ferrett; Philip Mathieson; Ian Reckless
- Source
- Case Reports. 2012:bcr-2012
- Subject
- medicine.medical_specialty
Infarction
Article
Internal medicine
medicine
Humans
cardiovascular diseases
Lung
Pathological
Aged, 80 and over
Pleural Cavity
Pulmonary Infarction
business.industry
Pneumothorax
General Medicine
Pleural cavity
medicine.disease
respiratory tract diseases
Pulmonary embolism
medicine.anatomical_structure
cardiovascular system
Cardiology
Female
Radiology
Pulmonary Embolism
Complication
business
- Language
- ISSN
- 1757-790X
An 85-year-old lady presented with a left middle cerebral artery territory infarct. Several days into her admission she became hypoxic and haemodynamically unstable. A CT pulmonary angiogram showed bilateral pulmonary emboli, right-sided parenchymal cavitation due to infarction and an associated large pneumothorax. She was treated successfully with an intercostal drain and anticoagulation. This case describes the rare phenomenon of secondary spontaneous pneumothorax due to pulmonary infarction from pulmonary embolism. The factors associated with the development of infarcts from pulmonary thromboemboli are poorly understood although a number of predisposing conditions and pathological features have been suggested. Pulmonary infarction occurs in around 10% of cases of pulmonary emboli but the complication of secondary spontaneous pneumothorax would appear to be much less common. One should consider pulmonary embolism as the cause of pneumothorax where there is significant clinical suspicion.