[Menstrual pneumothorax and pelvic endometriosis. Discussion of pathogenesis]

The authors report a new case of menstrual pneumothorax and pelvic endometriosis which was discovered at this time. In this case (because of the presence of lesions suggesting the condition on thoracotomy) the probable mechanism thought to cause this pneumothorax would be the cyclical shedding of pleural endometriotic lesions. The authors review the characteristics of this unusual syndrome and base their review on an analysis of the hundred cases reported in the literature. They show that there are two theories of pathogenicity classically held. The first is the existence of congenital gaps in the diaphragm which allow air to pass into the pleura during the periods, the other is the possibility of endometriotic pleural lesions damaging the cortex of the lung as they shed their cells during the period.