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Treatment is determined by the severity of symptoms and indicators of acute illness, the presence of underlying lung disease, the estimated size of the pneumothorax on X-ray, and – in some instances – on the personal preference of the person involved. [15] In traumatic pneumothorax, chest tubes are usually inserted.
A lung cavity or pulmonary cavity is an abnormal, thick-walled, air-filled space within the lung. [1] Cavities in the lung can be caused by infections, cancer, autoimmune conditions, trauma, congenital defects, [2] or pulmonary embolism. [3] The most common cause of a single lung cavity is lung cancer. [4]
Complications are not common but include infection, lung abscess, and bronchopleural fistula (a fistula between the pleural space and the bronchial tree). [4] A bronchopleural fistula results when there is a communication between the laceration, a bronchiole, and the pleura; it can cause air to leak into the pleural space despite the placement of a chest tube. [4]
Chest tube have an end hole (proximal, toward the patient) and a series of side holes. The number of side holes is generally 6 on most chest tubes. The length of tube that has side holes is the effective drainage length (EDL). In chest tubes designed for pediatric heart surgery, the EDL is shorter, generally by only having 4 side holes. [17]
Spontaneous subcutaneous emphysema is thought to result from increased pressures in the lung that cause alveoli to rupture. [5] In spontaneous subcutaneous emphysema, air travels from the ruptured alveoli into the interstitium and along the blood vessels of the lung, into the mediastinum and from there into the tissues of the neck or head. [5]
Lung surgery is a type of thoracic surgery involving the repair or removal of lung tissue, [1] and can be used to treat a variety of conditions ranging from lung cancer to pulmonary hypertension. Common operations include anatomic and nonanatomic resections, pleurodesis and lung transplants .
When the secretions are removed, the affected portion of the lung is commonly able to function almost normally. [30] However, infection is common in lungs distal to a partially obstructed bronchiole. [22] Infected lung tissue distal to a stricture can be damaged, and wheezing and coughing may develop due to the narrowing. [15]
A pneumatocele is a cavity in the lung parenchyma filled with air that may result from pulmonary trauma during mechanical ventilation. [1] Gas-filled, or air-filled lesions in bone are known as pneumocysts. [2] When a pneumocyst is found in a bone it is called an intraosseous pneumocyst, or a vertebral pneumocyst when found in a vertebra. [3]