F/A-18 Aviator Successfully Returned to Flight After an In-Flight Spontaneous Pneumothorax

BACKGROUND: Spontaneous pneumothorax (PTX) is a diagnostic challenge in aviators given the common occurrence of musculoskeletal pain after flight and notorious underreporting of symptoms of other diseases in this group.CASE REPORT: A 24-yr-old active duty F/A-18 Weapon Systems Officer performed an anti-G straining maneuver (AGSM) in response to a 6.5-g warm-up turn during a training flight at 16,000 ft (4876.8 m) above sea level. He immediately developed right-sided thoracic back pain. The flight was terminated, he landed, and the pain improved. Over the next 5 d, he noticed the insidious development of pleuritic chest pain and dyspnea. His symptoms prompted presentation to an aviation medicine clinic where a large right sided PTX was identified. After transfer to a local emergency department, a large bore chest tube was placed. A CT scan showed bilateral apical blebs requiring right and subsequently left video assisted thoracoscopy (VATS) with chemical/mechanical pleurodesis and apical wedge resection. Pulmonary function testing (PFT) showed a mild restriction defect 2-1/2 mo after surgery. The patient also completed cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET), performing better than his predicted reference range. After a high resolution CT showed no remaining signs of bleb or cyst disease and another month of healing he was returned to flight.DISCUSSION: PTX should be considered in aviators with perithoracic pain after flight as several aspects of flight in high performance aircraft may increase the risk for PTX. These include positive pressure breathing through a facemask, repeated use of the AGSM, and the possibility of bleb expansion at altitude.DeYoung H, Ahmed Y, Buckley J.