What position is pneumothorax?

Probably the most widely accepted postbiopsy techniques used to reduce the incidences of pneumothorax and of pneumothorax that requires treatment are the recumbent position and the puncture-site–dependent position (,5,,10,,14–,17).

What can cause pneumothorax?

A pneumothorax can be caused by:

• Chest injury. Any blunt or penetrating injury to your chest can cause lung collapse.
• Lung disease. Damaged lung tissue is more likely to collapse.
• Ruptured air blisters. Small air blisters (blebs) can develop on the top of the lungs.
• Mechanical ventilation.

How do you investigate a pneumothorax?

A pneumothorax is generally diagnosed using a chest X-ray. In some cases, a computerized tomography (CT) scan may be needed to provide more-detailed images. Ultrasound imaging also may be used to identify a pneumothorax.

When to use supine projection for pneumothorax?

A pneumothorax does not display classical signs when a patient is positioned supine for a chest radiograph. Instead, the pneumothorax may be demonstrated by looking for the following signs:

Can a pneumothorax be demonstrated with a chest radiograph?

A pneumothorax does not display classical signs when a patient is positioned supine for a chest radiograph. Instead, the pneumothorax may be demonstrated by looking for the following signs: relative lucency of the involved hemithorax.

What should I do if I have a recurrent pneumothorax?

In patients with recurrent pneumothoraces or who are at very high risk of having recurrent events and have a poor respiratory reserve, pleurodesis can be performed. This can either be medical (e.g. talc poudrage) or surgical (e.g. VATS pleurectomy, pleural abrasion, sclerosing agent) 4.

What is the failure rate for pneumothorax in the chest?

If the pneumothorax measures <35 mm (measuring the largest air pocket between the parietal and visceral pleura perpendicular to the chest well on axial imaging) in stable, non-intubated patients there was a 10% failure rate (i.e. requiring intercostal catheter insertion) during the first week 16 .