Dr. Schiffman received his B.S. degree with High Honors in biology from Hobart College in 1976. He then moved to Chicago where he studied biochemistry at the University of Illinois, Chicago Circle. He attended Rush Medical College where he received his M.D. degree in 1982 and was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. He completed his Internal Medicine internship and residency at the University of California, Irvine.
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.
A pneumothorax is a collection of free air in the
chest cavity (thoracic cavity) that causes the lung to collapse.
Pneumothorax may occur on its own in the absence of
underlying disease; this is termed spontaneous pneumothorax.
Pneumothorax may also occur as a consequence of an
injury or underlying lung disease.
A small spontaneous pneumothorax may resolve without
treatment; a pneumothorax arising as a result of lung disease or injury
requires immediate treatment.
Treatment may include insertion of a chest tube or aspiration of the free
air in the chest cavity.
What is a pneumothorax?
A pneumothorax is a collection of free air in the chest
outside the lung that causes the lung to collapse.
A spontaneous pneumothorax, also referred to as a primary
pneumothorax, occurs in the absence of a traumatic injury to the chest or a
known lung disease. A secondary (also termed complicated) pneumothorax occurs as
a result of an underlying condition.
What causes a pneumothorax?
The lungs normally inflate by increasing the size of the chest cavity, resulting in a negative (vacuum) pressure in the pleural space (the area within the chest cavity but outside the lungs). If air enters the pleural space either by a hole in the lung or the chest wall, the pressure in the pleural space equals the pressure outside the body. Thus, the vacuum is lost and the lung collapses.
Spontaneous pneumothorax is caused by a rupture of a cyst or a small sac (bleb) on the surface of
the lung. Pneumothorax may also occur following an injury to the chest wall such
as a fractured rib, any penetrating injury (gun shot or stabbing), surgical
invasion of the chest, or may be deliberately induced in order to collapse the
lung. A pneumothorax can also develop as a result of underlying lung diseases,
including
cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung
cancer, asthma, and infections of the lungs.
Reviewed by Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD on 5/11/2012
Cystic fibrosis is a disease of the mucus and sweat glands. Cystic fibrosis is an inherited disease. The outcome of the disease leaves the body malnourished,
Chronic bronchitis is a cough that occurs daily with production of sputum that lasts for at least three months, two years in a row. Causes of chronic bronchitis
Pleurisy, an inflammation of the lining around the lungs, is associated with sharp chest pain upon breathing in. Cough, chest tenderness, and shortness
Pulmonary edema (swelling or fluid in the lungs) can either be caused by cardiogenic causes (congestive heart failure, heart attacks, abnormal heart valves)
Pleural effusion is an excess fluid between the two membranes that envelop the lungs. There are two classifications of causes of pleural effusion; transudate
Chest pain is a common complaint by a patient in the ER. Causes of chest pain include broken or bruised ribs, pleurisy, pneumothorax, shingles, pneumonia,
COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is a disorder that persistently obstructs bronchial airflow. COPD mainly involves three related conditions,
Bronchitis is a term that describes inflammation of the bronchial tubes
(bronchi and the smaller branches termed bronchioles) that results in excessive
secretions of mucus into the tubes with tissue "...
