Abstract
Introduction: There are many COPD patients in the world. On the other hand, frequency of primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) is more than pneumothorax in COPD patients.
Aim: To study the pathomorphological changes of lung tissue in the patients with PSP and COPD pneumothorax.
Methods: The changes of lung tissue in 82 patients with spontaneous pneumothorax were analyzed. There were 70 males and 12 females. The patients were divided in three groups. The first group – 14 COPD patients older than 40 years: mild - 6 patients, moderate - 4, severe - 3, very severe – 1 (GOLD 2009). The second group – 28 PSP patients older than 40 years. The third group – 40 PSP patients from 20 till 30 years old.
Results: Pulmonary emphysema was found in all cases. Irregular (pericicatricale) emphysema was the most frequent cause of spontaneous pneumothorax in all groups of patients. Angiomathosis, old hemorrhages, microthrombosis of capillary, fibrosis were found in visceral pleura and subpleural lung tissue in the majority of patients.
Conclusion: The vascular changes in subpleural lung tissue lead to irregular emphysema. Patients with PSP and COPD pneumothorax had the same pathomorphological changes in subpleural lung tissue. This affirmed unifying way origin of PSP and COPD pneumothorax.
- © 2013 ERS
