Right-sided pneumothorax and right upper lobe collapse: Two unusual presentations of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis

• Main Authors: Anirban Das, Sibes K Das, Sumitra Basuthakur
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2014-01-01
• Series: The Journal of Association of Chest Physicians
• Subjects: Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis; asthma; oral corticosteroids; pneumothorax; upper lobe collapse
• Online Access: http://www.jacpjournal.org/article.asp?issn=2320-8775;year=2014;volume=2;issue=2;spage=71;epage=74;aulast=Das

Lobar or segmental collapse and secondary spontaneous pneumothorax are two unusual presentations of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA). First one is found in acute and exacerbation phases of ABPA due to "mucoid impaction" into damaged bronchi, and latter one is due to rupture of sub-pleural fibro-cystic spaces of pulmonary parenchyma, mainly in the fibrotic stage of ABPA. Clinical presentation of these two in the background of poorly controlled asthma in compliant individuals confuses the diagnosis, and ABPA should be searched for. Here, we report a rare case of right upper lobe collapse and right sided pneumothorax in separate occasions in an 18-year-old male, suffering from asthma with ABPA.