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Pneumothorax

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  • First Online:
Pathology of the Pleura and Mediastinum

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Pathology ((EP))

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Synonyms

Collapsed lung

Definition

Pneumothorax is the presence of air in the pleural cavity surrounding the lung. This collection of air restricts the expansion of the lung, causing difficulty breathing.

Pneumothorax may be classified as spontaneous or non-spontaneous.

A spontaneous pneumothorax occurs with no apparent trauma to the chest wall and may be further classified as primary or secondary.

Primary spontaneous pneumothorax occurs most often in patients with no history of lung disease and is often due to rupture of a bleb or bulla. A history of smoking increases the risk of spontaneous pneumothorax, such as infection, chronic obstructive lung disorder (COPD), or lung cancer.

Secondary spontaneous pneumothorax typically occurs in patients with underlying lung pathology.

Non-spontaneous pneumothorax can occur as a result of trauma to the chest wall, such as with blunt force, fractured rib, or penetrating trauma. Iatrogenic pneumothorax is also known to occur in patients undergoing...

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References and Further Reading

  • Findik, S., Erkan, L., & Light, R. W. (2006). Iatrogenic bilateral pneumothorax following unilateral transbronchial lung biopsy. The British Journal of Radiology, 79(943), e22–e24.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Paulman, P. M., Paulman, A. A., Harrison, J. D., Nasir, L. S., & Jarzynka, K. J. (2013). Taylor’s differential diagnosis manual: Symptoms and signs in the time-limited encounter. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ruigomes, A., Rodriguez, L. A., Wallander, M. A., et al. (2006). Chest pain in general practice: Incidence, comorbidity and mortality. Family Practice, 23(2), 167–174.

    Article  Google Scholar 

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA

    Dr. Melissa Van Dellen M.D.

Authors
  1. Dr. Melissa Van Dellen M.D.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Melissa Van Dellen M.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, The University of Mississippi Medical School, The University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA

    Timothy Craig Allen

  2. Department of Pathology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    Saul Suster

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Van Dellen, M. (2018). Pneumothorax. In: Allen, T.C., Suster, S. (eds) Pathology of the Pleura and Mediastinum. Encyclopedia of Pathology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66796-6_380

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66796-6_380

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-66795-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-66796-6

  • eBook Packages: MedicineReference Module Medicine

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