Spontaneous Pneumothorax in Wegener's Granulomatosis: Case Report and Literature Review

Background: Pulmonary manifestations of Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) are present in 45% of cases at the onset of the disease, and they reach 85% of the patients during its evolution. Pulmonary affection usually starts with unspecific symptoms such as cough, dyspnea, hemoptysis, and pleuritis....

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Belhassen-Garcia, Moncef, Velasco-Tirado, Virginia, Alvela-Suaréz, Lucía, Carpio-Pérez, Adela, Lledías, Javier Pardo, Novoa, Nuria, Iglesias-Gómez, Alicia, Cordero-Sánchez, Miguel
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión borrador
Fecha de publicación:2011
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Salamanca (USAL)
Repositorio:GREDOS. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Salamanca
OAI Identifier:oai:gredos.usal.es:10366/163241
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10366/163241
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:spontaneous pneumothorax
Wegener granulomatosis
pyopneumotorax
hydropneumothorax
vasculitis
3205.08 Enfermedades Pulmonares
Descripción
Sumario:Background: Pulmonary manifestations of Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) are present in 45% of cases at the onset of the disease, and they reach 85% of the patients during its evolution. Pulmonary affection usually starts with unspecific symptoms such as cough, dyspnea, hemoptysis, and pleuritis. Pulmonary nodules are 1 of the most common manifestations. The prevalence of pleural affection is 10 to 20%. However, spontaneous pneumothorax is extremely rare. Although its real incidence is unknown, according to different classic series, it ranges between 3 and 5% of the cases. Objective: To present a new case of spontaneous pneumothorax in a patient suffering WG and a brief review on this subject. Methods: We report our experience in a case of spontaneous pneumothorax due to WG. We also review the literature through a PubMed search between 1960 and 2010, using a broad range of keywords related to WG and spontaneous pneumothorax. Publications were evaluated for the demographic features of patients, manifestations of the disease, and outcome. Results: Despite the large prevalence of the respiratory involvement, spontaneous pneumothorax is extremely rare, with only 21 cases reported in the literature. Conclusion: Pneumothorax is a rare complication in WG cases, without a clear pathogenic mechanism involved.