Catamenial pneumothorax: Case report

Abstract

Catamenial pneumothorax is a rare clinical condition that was coined from a Greek root meaning monthly. It classically involves women in the 3rd or 4th decade of life. Since the first description in 1958, Just 229 cases of a unique entity of catamenial pneumothorax in women have been reported. The etiology of this disease is not clearly known. Endothoracic endometriosis or other unidentified problems make periodic spontaneous pneumothorax in this patients.The main presentations of this disease are dyspnea and chest pain within 48 to 72 hours from the onset of menstruation. In this paper we discuss etiology, clinical course, and thoracoscopic treatment of a 39 year old woman with catamenial pneumothorax. In addition, the world literature is reviewed.