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. 2019:62:21-23.
doi: 10.1016/j.ijscr.2019.08.003. Epub 2019 Aug 8.

Giant bulla or pneumothorax: How to distinguish

Beatrice Aramini  1 , Ciro Ruggiero  2 , Alessandro Stefani  3 , Uliano Morandi  4
Affiliations

Giant bulla or pneumothorax: How to distinguish

Beatrice Aramini et al. Int J Surg Case Rep. 2019.

Abstract

Background: The differential diagnosis between pneumothorax and giant bullae is thought to be straightforward but sometimes poses a challenge.

Case presentation: We present a case of a 54-year-old Caucasian man with a giant emphysematous bulla who underwent surgical resection. He had no smoking history and had previous pneumonia episodes. The surgery was free of complications, without air leaks, and he showed good ventilation of the lung.

Discussion: The main complications of bullae are pneumothorax, infection and hemorrhage. Pneumothorax is a serious complication in patients with compromised lung function. Therefore, it is very important to carefully distinguish bullae from pneumothorax to avoid iatrogenic pneumothorax in patients with bullous disease.

Conclusion: We emphasize how to differentiate between giant bullae and pneumothorax utilizing history, physical examination, and radiological studies, including computed tomography (CT) scan.

Keywords: Bullectomy; Chest drain; Giant bulla; Pneumothorax.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no financial and personal relationships to disclose.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
A. Preoperative chest X-ray; 1B Chest-CT showing a giant bulla on the left side, displacing the mediastinum on the right. Arrows indicate the double-wall signs.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
A–B. Dense pleural adherences visible on chest CT (arrows).
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
A. Surgical isolation of the giant bulla. The bulla measured 11 cm in length. 3B Six-day postoperative chest X-ray.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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