Localized pleural mesothelioma presenting as recurrence of pneumothorax ; a case report

Abstract

The patient was a 56-year-ole woman who had a history of right pneumothorax, which had been treated with continuous intrathoracic drainage 9 months earlier. She was admitted to our hospital because of dyspnea. The chest roentgenogram revealed right pneumothorax and a mass shadow in the right pleural cavity. The operative and macroscopic findings revealed that the tumor arose from the visceral pleura of the right upper lobe. Air had leaked from the base of the tumor.
The pathological diagnosis was fibrous type of localized pleural mesothelioma. It was considered that the tumor caused the pneumothorax. Localized pleural resothelioma presenting as pneumothorax is rare and the clinical course is of interest.