Case report: catamenial pneumothorax

Abstract

Primary spontaneous pneumothorax is defined as the presence of air in the pleural space with no precipitating cause and is four times less likely to occur in women than in men1,2. Common causes for spontaneous pneumothorax in females include: interstitial pneumonia, primary lung cancer and lung metastasis, and asthma3. An uncommon cause for secondary spontaneous pneumothorax is catamenial pneumothorax, which is associated with thoracic endometriosis. The word “catamenial” is derived from the greek word “katamenios” meaning monthly recurrence.4 Catamenial pneumothorax refers to recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax during menstruation in the absence of concomitant respiratory disease5.