Unilateral pulmonary oedema due to lung re-expansion following pleurocentesis for spontaneous pneumothorax. The role of non-invasive continuous positive airway pressure ventilation.

Re-expansion pulmonary oedema represents a rare complication of treatment of spontaneous pneumothorax with only a few cases documented in the current literature. We present the case of a 47-year-old male who presented a right-sided spontaneous pneumothorax and developed respiratory failure after chest tube drainage. The diagnosis of re-expansion pulmonary oedema was made and he was successfully treated with non-invasive continuous positive airway pressure ventilation. Since pathogenesis of re-expansion unilateral pulmonary oedema differs significantly from that of cardiogenic pulmonary oedema, the role of non-invasive continuous positive airway pressure ventilation is discussed as an additional therapeutic option.