What Causes Spontaneous Pneumothorax?

Discussion “A pneumothorax is a collection of air in the pleural space, and it can be categorized into spontaneous, traumatic or iatrogenic. Spontaneous pneumothorax can be further classified into primary with no clinical evidence of underlying lung disease or secondary due to pre-existing lung disease.” Spontaneous pneumothorax is a condition that is relatively rare in pediatrics. There is a bimodal age distribution – neonates and late adolescence. It is caused by tearing of the visceral pleural. Clinical signs include chest pain, dyspnea, tachycardia, tracheal deviation towards contralateral side, hypotension, cyanosis. There is a wide variation in treatment practices particularly for large pneumothoraces. For small ones, most are treated conservatively with or without oxygen therapy, and treatment for an underlying cause if present. Large pneumothoraces can be treated conservatively, by aspiration, chest tube, pleurodesis and/or surgery. The pneumothorax is seen on AP radiographs, but decubutus radiographs often make the pneumothorax more prominent. Because air will track anteriorly on a supine chest radiograph often used in small children, pneumothorax in these children can easily be missed on the AP but not on the decubitus radiograph. To review the complications of pneumonia and its common infectious disease causative agents, see What Are the Complications of Pneumonia?. Learning Point Causes of secondary spontaneous pneumothorax include: Airway d...
Source: PediatricEducation.org - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news