title: Simultaneous bilateral spontaneous pneumothorax: case report.
abstract: A 22-year-old previously healthy male was admitted to the emergency department for chest pain and dyspnea of 1-day's duration. He had a history of heavy smoking. The patient was cyanotic, agitated, and severely dyspneic. Lung auscultation revealed severe diffuse bronchospasm and equally diminished breath sounds on both sides. Nasotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation were performed shortly after admission due to acute respiratory failure. Simultaneous bilateral spontaneous pneumothorax was diagnosed from the chest x-ray, and chest tube drainage was immediately performed bilaterally. Computerized tomography of the chest 1 month later showed diffuse emphysematous bullae of the lungs. The case presented here should increase physicians' awareness of this rare form of spontaneous pneumothorax and its diverse manifestations.
authors.affiliation: Emergency Department, Kaplan Hospital, Rehovot, Israel.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hay
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sternfeld
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rashid
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kunichevsky
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eliraz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001768:Blister / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002637:Chest Pain / Q000209:etiology; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011030:Pneumothorax / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D011656:Pulmonary Emphysema / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed