Spontaneous Pneumothorax

Excerpt

Spontaneous pneumothorax refers to the abnormal collection of gas in the pleural space between the lungs and the chest wall. Spontaneous pneumothorax occurs without an obvious etiology such as trauma or iatrogenic causes. Spontaneous pneumothorax can be classified as either primary or secondary. Primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) occurs when the patient does not have a history of the underlying pulmonary disease, whereas secondary spontaneous pneumothorax (SSP) is associated with a history of an underlying pulmonary disease. Patients may present with a variety of symptoms including tachycardia and dyspnea. A feared complication is tension pneumothorax. The diagnosis of spontaneous pneumothorax is based on clinical suspicion and can be confirmed with imaging. Management of spontaneous pneumothorax depends on multiple factors including the patient’s stability, the size of the pneumothorax, occurrence (i.e., first episode or recurrent), and the type of spontaneous pneumothorax (i.e., primary spontaneous pneumothorax or secondary spontaneous pneumothorax).