Spontaneous Hæmopneumothorax

MASSIVE lhCUmorrhage is a rare complicationi of spontaneous pnrCumlothorax (Agnew, 1955). TIhe pneumotlhorax often arises as the result of rupture of a. subpleural cyst or bleb (Coope, 1945). It is presumed tlhat, with the collapse of the lung, pleural adhesions are torn. It is from the torn parietal ends of these adhesions, which are uninfluenced by the collapsed lung, that bleeding may arise (Hartzell, 1942). The condition is very oftein serious and carries a mortality rate of between 15 and 25 per cent. (Calvert and Smith, 1955; Ross, 1952). '1'e following case exhibits some of the features of this condition.