Spontaneous pneumothorax: An unusual complication of pregnancy - A case report and review of literature

Abstract

Spontaneous pneumothorax complicating pregnancy is rare. Only 55 cases have been reported till now. We describe a case of a 30-year-old Indian woman with spontaneous pneumothorax during her 28th week of pregnancy.

Recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax in pregnancy – a case report and review of literature

“…Additional common risk factors include asthma, cocaine use, hyperemesis gravidarum, history of a previous pneumothorax, or an underlying infection [2,6], whereas, pulmonary ectopic deciduosis, ruptured hydatid cyst and alcohol use are also sparsely mentioned. During pregnancy and labour, the oxygen demand increases by 20 and 50%, respectively [7].…”

“…The typical symptoms of spontaneous pneumothorax, regardless of cause, include pleuritic chest pain associated with dyspnoea [2,4,9]. However, these typical symptoms are often attributed to paroxysmal tachycardia, neuralgia, or asthma exacerbation, thus contributing to underreporting of spontaneous pneumothorax [4].…”

“…In pregnancy the prevalence of pneumothorax is low, with approximately only 56 cases reported in the literature previously [2]. Prompt and accurate diagnosis of pneumothorax is crucial as it can be affiliated with dyspnoea in pregnancy and lead to sudden respiratory comprise secondary to tension physiology [3].…”

Spontaneous pneumothorax in pregnancy: a case report

“…Rupture of a subpleural apical bulla or bleb, pulmonary lymphangiomatosis and cavitary TB are the most common cause of spontaneous pneumothorax in pregnancy (1,4). Spontaneous pneumothorax occurred during the perinatal period in 53.3% and during the first or second trimester in 46.7% of cases (4).…”

Neumotórax espontáneo durante la gestación

“…Otra causa puede ser la linfangioleiomiomatosis pulmonar 5,7 . La existencia de una infección pulmonar, el asma, el consumo de cocaína, la hiperémesis gravídica y la historia de neumotórax previo son factores de riesgo de neumotórax 3,5,6,10 .…”