Catamenial Pneumothorax: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Dafne Papafragaki, Laura Concannon
Journal of women's health (2002) · 2008 · vol. 17(3) , pp. 367–372 · doi:10.1089/jwh.2007.0553 · PMID:18328011 · W2062868870
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-09 ⓘ

This case report describes a rare instance of catamenial pneumothorax in a 39-year-old woman, presenting with symptoms correlating to her menstrual cycle and treated with hormonal therapy after recurrence.

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Abstract

A 39-year-old woman presented with the chief complaint of right-sided chest pressure and shortness of breath with dry cough for 3 days. These symptoms coincided with the onset of her menstrual cycle. Her physical examination was significant for decreased breath sounds at the right lung base. Her chest x-ray showed a moderate sized right pneumothorax extending from the apex to the lung base and a small amount of pleural fluid, findings that were verified by chest CT. The patient was seen by consultants from the pulmonary, obstetrics/gynecology, and thoracic surgery services, who agreed that the clinical diagnosis was catamenial pneumothorax, probably associated with thoracic endometriosis. The patient was discharged on levonorgestrel/ethinyl estradiol tablets, which she opted not to take. Three months later, she had similar symptoms that occurred again at the time of menstruation. Her chest x-ray now showed a 10% right-sided pneumothorax. Catamenial pneumothorax is a rare condition affecting women in their reproductive years. Women with this condition most commonly have right-sided pneumothorax. The proper diagnosis is based on being aware of the existence of this relatively rare condition and relating the symptoms of pneumothorax temporally to the menses.

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Condition tags

endometriosisthoracic_endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Endometriosis Menstruation Disturbances Pneumothorax Adult Diagnosis, Differential Endometriosis Female Humans Menstruation Menstruation Disturbances Pneumothorax Pneumothorax Radiography, Thoracic Recurrence

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References (21)

Cited by (18)

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