[Four cases of spontaneous pneumothorax with no reexpansion of collapsed lung despite chest tube drainage].

Abstract

We report four cases of spontaneous pneumothorax with no reexpansion of the collapsed lung despite chest tube placement and adequate suction. The cause of absence of reexpansion was endobronchial obstruction by bronchogenic carcinoma in one patient and by sputum plug in another. In the other two patients, the collapsed lung had pulmonary fibrosis and did not reexpand at all because of reduced pulmonary compliance.