Abstract
Recent experiance with 3 cases of catamenial pneumothorax is descrived. Patients were 40, 25 and 33-year-old wemen. Clinical diagnosis of catamenial pneumothorax was made based on their history and thoracotomy was performed in all 3 cases. The pneumothorax was localized on the right side in 2 cases and on the left side in another. In all cases, no lesions were observed on the diaphragmatic pleula, but on the viseral pleula adhesion with palietal pleula (2 cases) and numerous blebs (1 cases) were observed, and microscopic examination revealed the presense of endometrial tissue in these lesions. In Japan, 53 cases of catamenial pneumothorax, incruding these 3 cases, have been reported, but intra-thoracic endometriosis was histologically recognized in 25 cases. Out of these 25 cases, endometrial tissue was found on the diaphragma in 19 cases, and only in 6 cases found on the viseral pleula.
