[The catamenial pneumothorax: a diagnosis often overlooked]

Abstract

The catamenial pneumothorax (CP) is defined as recurrent pneumothorax occurring from the day before menstruations until 72 hours after their beginning, but remains a diagnostic and therapeutic problem. We herein report the cases of two young women who presented several episodes of pneumothorax. The first patient (28 years old) underwent 18 recurrent pneumothorax before the diagnosis of CP. The video-assisted mini-thoracotomy found many diaphragmatic perforations, which were sutured after resection and biopsy. The latter patient underwent four pneumothorax before diagnosis of CP. A video-assisted mini-thoracotomy associated with pleurectomy and pleural freshening was then performed. CP is a rare entity of spontaneous pneumothorax often associated with thoracic endometriosis. The difficulty remains in diagnosis (diagnostic delay before the start of appropriate care), as well as in the treatment. Overall, CP requires a multidisciplinary approach combining pulmonology, thoracic surgery and gynecology.