<unk>  is air in the pleural space under pressure resulting in lung collapse.<unk>  can be classified into tension and non-tension<unk> . A tension<unk>  is an acute medical emergency as air accumulates rapidly in the pleural space with each breath. The increase in intrathoracic pressure results in massive shifting of the mediastinum away from the affected lung compressing intrathoracic vessels. Non-tension<unk>  is of lesser severity because there is slower accumulation of air and therefore slower increase in air pressure in the pleural cavity. In primary spontaneous<unk> , it is usually characterized by a rupture of a bleb in the lung while secondary spontaneous<unk>  mostly occurs due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). There are several diseases that may lead to secondary spontaneous<unk>  including tuberculosis,<unk> nia, asthma, cystic fibrosis, lung cancer, interstitial lung disease, and Marfan's syndrome. In tension<unk> , the underlying pathophysiology most commonly is chest trauma forming a one-way valve in the pleura whereby air enters the pleural space when the pleural pressure is negative during inspiration.<unk>  can also result from several interventional procedures which cause penetrating or non-penetrating injury to the pleura resulting in abrupt increase in the alveolar pressure and hence, lead to alveolar rupture forming a communication with the pleura. The prognosis varies with the cause of<unk> ; primary spontaneous<unk>  have the most favorable prognosis. The symptoms of<unk>  usually develop in any decade of life, and start with symptoms such as difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, and chest pain. Uncomplicated<unk>  usually resolve within 10 days. Secondary<unk>  is dependent on the underlying cause and can continue to reoccur. If tension<unk>  is not recognized it will lead to death. Common complications of<unk>  include recurrence, cardiovascular collapse, and<unk> mediastinum. Chest CT scan is more sensitive than chest x-ray and may be helpful in the diagnosis of<unk> . Findings on CT scan suggestive of<unk>  include small<unk> es,<unk> mediastinum, and blebs. Surgery is the mainstay of treatment for the management of<unk> . The type of surgical modality opted depends on various conditions such as the size of the<unk> , underlying disease or procedure causing it and the type (open/closed vs simple/tension). Initially, airway, breathing, and circulation should be maintained along with high concentration oxygen therapy. Tube thoracotomy used to be the preferred surgical procedure. Nowadays, video assisted thoracoscopic surgery has widely replaced the open surgical procedure.
Pneumothorax
Hemothorax
Chylothorax
Urinothorax
Hydropneumothorax
Hemopneumothorax
Round pneumonia
Hydrothorax