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Home > Departments > Pediatric Surgery > Target diseases > pneumothorax
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This is a disease in which air leaks from the lungs for some reason, causing the lungs to collapse. When this occurs without any obvious cause such as trauma, it is called spontaneous pneumothorax.
Symptoms include chest pain, difficulty breathing, and coughing. If a severe pneumothorax develops, it can become a life-threatening condition called tension pneumothorax.
In most cases of spontaneous pneumothorax, air leaks out from sac-like lesions in the lungs called "bulla" or "bleb."
Mild cases may be cured with rest, but in severe cases, a tube must be placed in the chest cavity to remove the air. If air is leaking from a "bulla" or "bleb," surgery may be required to remove these lesions.
