No abstract

Lung herniation, defined as the protrusion of lung tissue outside the normal boundaries of thoracic cage, is an unusual event. This most commonly occurs as a consequence of thoracic trauma. Spontaneous subtypes of lung herniation are rare with only a few cases reported in medical literature. We present a 63-year-old male who presented with spontaneously herniated lung after an episode of vigorous sneezing. The possible underlying mechanisms, important physical examination and diagnostic imaging findings, and aspects of management considerations are briefly discussed.

Acute airway obstruction due to large blood clots is known to cause life threatening hypoxemic respiratory failure which can be challenging to diagnose and manage. Different bronchoscopic modalities like rigid bronchoscopy, forceps, snares and catheters can be used to extract these obstructing blood clots but each of these different methods have their own limitations. We describe a patient with iatrogenic endobronchial bleed with acute airway obstruction due to massive blood clot successfully managed using 'cryoextraction'. This technique has been described as the treatment of choice for this clinical situation and this case highlights the fact that this technique can save patients from more aggressive invasive procedures.

Spontaneous pneumothorax (SPTX) is a potentially devastating rare complication of the thoracic radiation therapy. Most of the cases in the medical literature, have been described in lymphoma patients receiving radiation therapy. The pathogenesis of this adverse event remains undefined although different mechanisms have been proposed. We present a case of post-radiation therapy SPTX in a non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), following intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), which to our knowledge is the first such reported case related to this newer mode of radiation therapy. This report highlights the importance of keeping a close eye for this complication as timely treatment with chest tube insertion and drainage of the pneumothorax can be a lifesaving in these patients.