Korean J Perinatol.  2008 Mar;19(1):71-74.

Surgical management of recurrent pneumothorax in the second trimester of pregnancy

• Kim YH
• Choi SY
• Seo JH
• Byun SW
• Son JB
• Lee HJ
• Park TC

Abstract

Spontaneous pneumothorax in pregnancy is generally regarded as an unusual disorder, with only approximately 44 cases having been reported in the world literature. The most common cause is the rupture of a subpleural apical bulla or bleb, due to increased respiratory demand of the peripartum period. Pneumothorax should be considered in any pregnant woman with chest pain and/or dyspnea and must be confirmed radiographically. Treatment of simple pneumothorax during pregnancy is controversal. Admission and close observation of the patient is usually done with small pneumothorax. Other treatment options are needle aspiration, needle decompression (eg, intension pneumothorax), pleurodesis, tube thoracostomy, thoracotomy, and thoracoscopy. We report a recent experience of a 34 years-old pregnant woman with recurrent pneumothorax, who was treated with thoracotomy during the 28th weeks of pregnancy. She had previously been well during pregnancy and all antenatal investigations, including ultrasound scan, were normal. Cardiovascular examination did not reveal any abnormality. On chest auscultation, air entry was reduced on the left side of the chest. Chest X-ray revealed significantly expanded left lung with a large pneumothorax. After successfully treated with surgical approach, the patient had vaginal delivery of a healthy male infant, weighing 2.93 kg, safely during 39th weeks of pregnancy.

Keyword

Recurrent pneumothorax; Pregnancy; Thoracotomy

MeSH Terms

Auscultation
Blister
Chest Pain
Decompression
Dyspnea
Female
Humans
Infant
Lung
Male
Needles
Peripartum Period
Pleurodesis
Pneumothorax
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Trimester, Second
Pregnant Women
Rupture
Thoracoscopy
Thoracostomy
Thoracotomy
Thorax