Spontaneous pneumothorax

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Chest tube insertion - series

Pneumothorax - chest X-ray

Respiratory system

Spontaneous pneumothorax is a collection of air or gas in the chest that causes the lung to collapse. Spontaneous means there is no traumatic injury to the chest or lung.

See also: Pneumothorax

Lung collapse - spontaneous

There are two types of spontaneous pneumothorax:

• Primary spontaneous pneumothorax
• Secondary spontaneous pneumothorax

Primary spontaneous pneumothorax occurs in people without lung disease. It usually occurs in tall, thin men between the ages of 20 and 40. Usually, the rupture of a small air- or fluid-filled sac in the lung (called a bulla) causes a primary spontaneous pneumothorax.

Secondary spontaneous pneumothorax most often occurs with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Other lung diseases commonly associated with spontaneous pneumothorax include:

• Tuberculosis
• Pneumonia
• Asthma
• Cystic fibrosis
• Lung cancer
• Interstitial lung disease

Review Date: 02/27/2006
Reviewed By: David A. Kaufman, M.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Pulmonary, CriticalCare & Sleep Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY. Reviewprovided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.