Thorax

IntroductionFluoroquinolones can cause severe collagen-associated adverse effects, potentially impacting the pulmonary connective tissue. We investigated the association between fluoroquinolones and spontaneous pneumothorax.MethodsA case-ti…

Familial spontaneous pneumothorax (FSP) accounts for 10% of primary spontaneous pneumothoraces. Appropriate investigation of FSP enables early diagnosis of serious monogenic diseases and the practice of precision medicine. Here, we show tha…

A 47-year-old woman was diagnosed with pelvic endometriosis during a caesarean at the age of 37 years. Two years later, she presented two episodes of spontaneous right-sided pneumothorax occurring 2 days after the onset of her menses. The f…

IntroductionLung cancer screening (LCS) by low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) offers an opportunity to impact both lung cancer and coronary heart disease mortality through detection of coronary artery calcification (CAC). Here, we explore …

A 41-year-old woman who suffered from monthly haemoptysis for >16 years was referred to a chest surgeon due to an abnormal chest radiograph. The haemoptysis usually occurred on the first day of her menses and lasted ∼3 days. She had poliomy…

Routine neonatal circumcision—the non-therapeutic circumcision of infant males—has generated considerable ethical controversy. In this article, I suggest that much of the disagreement results from conflicting ideas about the autonomy of the…

BackgroundThere is some evidence that asthmatic women are more likely to have abnormal sex hormone levels. A study was undertaken to determine whether asthma and allergy were associated with irregular menstruation in a general population, a…

BackgroundLung cancer is the most common cause of cancer related death in Ireland. The majority of lung cancers are inoperable at the time of diagnosis and consequently the overall 5 year survival is less than 10%. The objective of the ProA…

Case reports of catamenial haemoptysis are uncommon. We report the first case of thoracic endometriosis associated with clomiphene citrate therapy and previously unpublished endobronchial and angiographic findings.

BackgroundNeonatal screening for alpha(1)-antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency was undertaken in Sweden between 1972 and 1974 when 129 infants with severe AAT deficiency (phenotype PiZ) were identified. The cohort has been followed up prospectively…

BackgroundComplicated (recurring or persistent) spontaneous pneumothorax requires treatment either by talc pleurodesis with bullae electrocoagulation or, more aggressively, by thoracotomy or video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. However, th…

The case is described of a 31 year old woman who presented with complaints of recurrent haemoptysis coinciding with menstruation. Bronchoscopic examination revealed multiple purplish-red submucosal lesions on the right side of the trachea a…

A case is presented of massive ascites and right sided pleural effusion caused by endometriosis. The final diagnosis was not made for a considerable time. Massive ascites and a right sided pleural effusion caused by endometriosis is rare, w…

Since the first report of pulmonary endometriosis as a cause of catamenial haemoptysis all cases have been assumed to be due to pulmonary endometriosis, even in the absence of histopathological proof. A case is presented where the histologi…

An unusual case of spontaneous haemothorax caused by a subpleural primary lung cancer is reported. Tumour invasion of the pulmonary vessels and visceral pleura was the possible cause.

BackgroundAlthough thoracoscopy has been used for diagnostic and minor therapeutic procedures for many years, there have been few reports of its use in performing major intrathoracic procedures, which have traditionally required formal thor…

Review of an annual series of cases of empyema seen at a regional cardiothoracic unit showed that six out of 25 were due to Streptococcus milleri. The details of the cases are summarised. This organism is now an important cause of empyema, …