Catamenial pneumothorax, a commonly misdiagnosed thoracic condition: case report

Laurie Stiennon, Vincent Tchana Sato, Vincent Tchana‐Sato, Jean‐Paul Lavigne, Jean-Paul Lavigne, Jean Defraigne, Jean Olivier Defraigne
Acta chirurgica Belgica · 2021 · vol. 123(3) , pp. 305–308 · doi:10.1080/00015458.2021.1978148 · PMID:34487484 · W3197755648
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-08 ⓘ

This case report describes a 43-year-old woman diagnosed with catamenial pneumothorax, a rare condition characterized by menstrual cycle-related chest symptoms and diaphragmatic fenestrations, treated surgically via thoracoscopy.

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Abstract

A 43-year-old woman presented with right-sided chest discomfort associated with dyspnea. The symptoms were related to the menstrual cycle and the patient has already presented several similar episodes. The Chest computed tomography (chest-CT) showed a partial right pneumothorax. A thoracoscopy was performed and demonstrated some diaphragmatic fenestrations. The diagnosis of a catamenial pneumothorax was established. The catamenial pneumothorax is a rare condition affecting the women in the reproductive period and is located most of the time in the right-side. The treatment is mainly surgical with the realization of a thoracoscopy. However, a medical treatment may be sometimes necessary.

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Condition tags

endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Pneumothorax Pneumothorax Pneumothorax Adult Diagnostic Errors Female Humans Thoracoscopy

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