[Causes of spontaneous pneumothorax from the pathologic-anatomic viewpoint].

The symptomatic spontaneous pneumothorax is an illness of the middle-aged and elderly. In former times the main cause was a rupture of a tuberculous cavity. Nowadays it is usually due to a rupture of an emphysematous bulla. The so-called idiopathic spontaneous pneumothorax is predominantly found in young adults. The main cause is a pleura defect within the vicinity of the apical scars due to emphysematous changes. Nevertheless sometimes it can be the first clinical manifestation of interstitial lung fibrosis. In young persons who suffer from multiple spontaneous pneumothoraces the cause may be pulmonary histiocytosis X.