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A case of thoracic endometriosis-related pneumothorax in a menopausal woman

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Abstract

Thoracic endometriosis-related pneumothorax (TERP) or thoracic endometriosis syndrome (TES) usually occurs in women of childbearing age and affects the right thorax. Menopausal and left-sided cases are rare. A case of left-sided TERP in a postmenopausal woman after adjuvant endocrine therapy for breast cancer is reported. A 51-year-old woman underwent video-assisted thoracic surgery for recurrent left pneumothorax. Immunohistological examination of the resected specimen from the apical bleb and a diaphragmatic blueberry spot demonstrated thoracic endometriosis. Even in the case of a left-sided pneumothorax in a menopausal woman, clinicians should be aware of the possibility of TERP.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Surgery, National Hospital Organization Ehime Medical Center, 366 Yokogawara, Toon, Ehime, 791-0281, Japan

    Shungo Yukumi, Hideaki Suzuki & Masamitsu Morimoto

  2. Center of Chest Medicine and Surgery, Ehime University, Toon, Ehime, Japan

    Hisayuki Shigematsu, Ryujiro Sugimoto, Nobuhiko Sakao & Yoshifumi Sano

  3. Departments of Respiratory Medicine, National Hospital Organization Ehime Medical Center, Toon, Ehime, Japan

    Masahiro Abe & Akira Watanabe

  4. Department of Diagnostic Pathology, Ehime University, Toon, Ehime, Japan

    Sohei Kitazawa

Authors
  1. Shungo Yukumi
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  2. Hideaki Suzuki
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  3. Masamitsu Morimoto
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  4. Hisayuki Shigematsu
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  5. Ryujiro Sugimoto
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  6. Nobuhiko Sakao
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  7. Masahiro Abe
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  8. Akira Watanabe
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  9. Sohei Kitazawa
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  10. Yoshifumi Sano
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Correspondence to Shungo Yukumi.

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Yukumi, S., Suzuki, H., Morimoto, M. et al. A case of thoracic endometriosis-related pneumothorax in a menopausal woman. Gen Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 68, 1584–1586 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11748-020-01381-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11748-020-01381-8

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