Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 3 complete abstracts (815 words), 9 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
An accumulation of air or gas in the pleural cavity, which may occur spontaneously or as a result of trauma or a pathological process. The gas may also be introduced deliberately during pneumothorax, artificial.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Pneumothorax, Primary Spontaneous; Primary Spontaneous Pneumothorax; Spontaneous Pneumothorax, Primary; Tension Pneumothorax; Pneumothorax, Tension; Pressure Pneumothorax; Pneumothorax, Pressure; Spontaneous Pneumothorax.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Pleural Diseases
- See also
- Hemopneumothorax; Hydropneumothorax; Thoracentesis
Related concepts
- Pleural Cavity
- Pneumothorax
- Artificial
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 19,366 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Pneumothorax” (counts retrieved 2026-11-04). 2,546 of them (13.1%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is through 1999 with 10,038 records.
Reviews account for 1,539 records (7.9%) and meta-analyses for 163. Randomized controlled trials number 287 (1.5%) as a share of all records on the topic. Randomized trials make up only a small share of this literature, so much of what is known comes from laboratory, observational or descriptive work.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 10,038 |
| 2000-2009 | 2,897 |
| 2010-2019 | 3,885 |
| 2020 onward | 2,546 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 1,539 | 7.9% |
| Meta-analyses | 163 | 0.8% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 287 | 1.5% |
Method: PubMed query "Pneumothorax"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-11-04.
Reading the evidence in respiratory medicine
Research on airway and lung disease mixes lung-function tests, symptom diaries, imaging and hospital records, so what was measured and in whom matters as much as the result. Many conditions here, such as asthma and COPD, vary between people and over time, and exposure studies (smoking, pollution, workplace dust) show association rather than proof of cause. Nothing on this page is advice about treatment or inhalers; anyone with breathing difficulty should seek care from a qualified clinician. Check how the condition was defined, the severity of the people studied and whether outcomes were symptoms, lung function or hospital admissions.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Efficiency and Quality of Generative AI-Assisted Radiograph Reporting | 2025 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 33 | cc by PMID 40471579 · DOI · PMC12142447 |
| Exons 1-3 deletion in FLCN is associated with increased risk of pneumothorax in Chinese patients with Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome | 2023 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 12 | cc by PMID 37170274 · DOI · PMC10176890 |
| Computed tomography-guided lung biopsy with rapid on-site evaluation for diagnosis of lung lesions: a meta-analysis | 2023 | Meta-analysis Design not recorded in structured metadata | 11 | cc by PMID 37038189 · DOI · PMC10088145 |
Efficiency and Quality of Generative AI-Assisted Radiograph Reporting [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- ImportanceDiagnostic imaging interpretation involves distilling multimodal clinical information into text form, a task well-suited to augmentation by generative artificial intelligence (AI).
- Closing excerpt
- This study suggests the potential for radiologist and generative AI collaboration to improve clinical care delivery.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (387 words)
ImportanceDiagnostic imaging interpretation involves distilling multimodal clinical information into text form, a task well-suited to augmentation by generative artificial intelligence (AI). However, to our knowledge, impacts of AI-based draft radiological reporting remain unstudied in clinical settings.ObjectiveTo prospectively evaluate the association of radiologist use of a workflow-integrated generative model capable of providing draft radiological reports for plain radiographs across a tertiary health care system with documentation efficiency, the clinical accuracy and textual quality of final radiologist reports, and the model's potential for detecting unexpected, clinically significant pneumothorax.Design, setting, and participantsThis prospective cohort study was conducted from November 15, 2023, to April 24, 2024, at a tertiary care academic health system. The association between use of the generative model and radiologist documentation efficiency was evaluated for radiographs documented with model assistance compared with a baseline set of radiographs without model use, matched by study type (chest or nonchest). Peer review was performed on model-assisted interpretations. Flagging of pneumothorax requiring intervention was performed on radiographs prospectively.Main outcomes and measuresThe primary outcomes were association of use of the generative model with radiologist documentation efficiency, assessed by difference in documentation time with and without model use using a linear mixed-effects model; for peer review of model-assisted reports, the difference in Likert-scale ratings using a cumulative-link mixed model; and for flagging pneumothorax requiring intervention, sensitivity and specificity.ResultsA total of 23 960 radiographs (11 980 each with and without model use) were used to analyze documentation efficiency. Interpretations with model assistance (mean [SE], 159.8 [27.0] seconds) were faster than the baseline set of those without (mean [SE], 189.2 [36.2] seconds) (P = .02), representing a 15.5% documentation efficiency increase. Peer review of 800 studies showed no difference in clinical accuracy (χ2 = 0.68; P = .41) or textual quality (χ2 = 3.62; P = .06) between model-assisted interpretations and nonmodel interpretations. Moreover, the model flagged studies containing a clinically significant, unexpected pneumothorax with a sensitivity of 72.7% and specificity of 99.9% among 97 651 studies screened.Conclusions and relevanceIn this prospective cohort study of clinical use of a generative model for draft radiological reporting, model use was associated with improved radiologist documentation efficiency while maintaining clinical quality and demonstrated potential to detect studies containing a pneumothorax requiring immediate intervention. This study suggests the potential for radiologist and generative AI collaboration to improve clinical care delivery.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 40471579 · DOI · PMC12142447
Exons 1-3 deletion in FLCN is associated with increased risk of pneumothorax in Chinese patients with Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- BackgroundThe pathogenic variants responsible for Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome (BHDS) in folliculin (FLCN) gene mostly consist of point mutations.
- Closing excerpt
- ConclusionsLarge intragenic deletion of exons 1-3 in FLCN was identified as a local aggregation phenomenon in Feidong County, China, and was associated with a significantly higher risk of pneumothorax compared to those with point mutations.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (241 words)
BackgroundThe pathogenic variants responsible for Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome (BHDS) in folliculin (FLCN) gene mostly consist of point mutations. Although large intragenic deletions/duplications have been reported in several case reports, the relationship between large intragenic deletions/duplications and phenotype in BHDS remains unclear.MethodsWe retrospectively identified and reviewed patients with a large intragenic deletion spanning exons 1-3 and analyzed their phenotypic features to compare with those of point mutation carriers in our hospital from January 1, 2017 to August 31, 2022.ResultsTwenty unique point mutations (including 4 novel mutations) were detected in 62 patients from 45 families (90%). Exons 1-3 deletion were identified in 8 patients from 5 families (10%) that resided in the same region, Feidong County of Anhui Province, China. Breakpoint analysis indicated that all the deletion breakpoints were flanked by Alu repeats. The prevalence of exons 1-3 deletion carriers in Feidong County was 8.1-times higher than that for BHDS in Anhui Province, suggesting a clustered phenomenon of exons 1-3 deletion. Significantly increased risk of pneumothorax was observed in those with exons 1-3 deletion compared with point mutations (91% vs. 58%, p value 0.047). The risk of renal cancer may be higher in those with exons 1-3 deletion than for those with point mutations (18% vs. 4%, p > 0.05).ConclusionsLarge intragenic deletion of exons 1-3 in FLCN was identified as a local aggregation phenomenon in Feidong County, China, and was associated with a significantly higher risk of pneumothorax compared to those with point mutations.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 37170274 · DOI · PMC10176890
Computed tomography-guided lung biopsy with rapid on-site evaluation for diagnosis of lung lesions: a meta-analysis [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- BackgroundLung biopsy (LB) procedures performed with computed tomography (CT guidance can enable the reliable diagnosis of lung lesions.
- Closing excerpt
- ConclusionsThese results suggest that ROSE may contribute to significant improvements in the diagnostic accuracy of CT-guided LB without contributing to higher rates of complications.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (187 words)
BackgroundLung biopsy (LB) procedures performed with computed tomography (CT guidance can enable the reliable diagnosis of lung lesions. These diagnostic efforts can be further expedited through a rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE) approach, allowing for the rapid assessment of collected tissue samples to gauge the adequacy of these samples, their features, and associated cytomorphological characteristics. The present analysis was developed to examine the safety and efficacy of CT-guided LB with ROSE as a means of diagnosing lung lesions.MethodsStudies published as of July 31, 2022 in the PubMed, Embase, and Wanfang databases were identified for this meta-analysis. Diagnostic accuracy was the primary endpoint, while secondary endpoints included the operative duration, the number of punctures, and rates of lung hemorrhage, pneumothorax, and secondary LB.ResultsThis meta-analysis included 6 total studies. Relative to CT alone, CT with ROSE was associated with a significant increase in diagnostic accuracy (P 2 = 94%) and number of punctures (I2 = 98%) endpoints, while no publication bias was detected for any study endpoints.ConclusionsThese results suggest that ROSE may contribute to significant improvements in the diagnostic accuracy of CT-guided LB without contributing to higher rates of complications.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 37038189 · DOI · PMC10088145
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Complication rates of CT-guided transthoracic lung biopsy: meta-analysis [4]
- Research article Pleural procedures and thoracic ultrasound: British Thoracic Society Pleural Disease Guideline 2010 [5]
- Research article Pleural ultrasonography versus chest radiography for the diagnosis of pneumothorax: review of the literature and meta-analysis [6]
- Research article Complications of CT-guided percutaneous needle biopsy of the chest: prevention and management [7]
- Research article ERS task force statement: diagnosis and treatment of primary spontaneous pneumothorax [8]
- Research article Diagnosis of pneumothorax by radiography and ultrasonography: a meta-analysis [9]
Full-text reviews on EvidenceLib
Open-access review articles about this topic, reproduced in full with authors, licence and references.
Polyglycolic acid sheet covering to prevent recurrence after surgery for spontaneous pneumothorax: a meta-analysis
Yuka Kadomatsu, Takayuki Fukui, Shoichi Mori et al. · Scientific Reports 2021 · CC BY 4.0
References
- Huang J, Wittbrodt MT, Teague CN, Karl E, Galal G, Thompson M, et al.. Efficiency and Quality of Generative AI-Assisted Radiograph Reporting. . 2025. PMID 40471579 · DOI · PMC12142447
- Wang Y, Cai M, Jiang X, Lv G, Hu D, Zhang G, et al.. Exons 1-3 deletion in FLCN is associated with increased risk of pneumothorax in Chinese patients with Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome. . 2023. PMID 37170274 · DOI · PMC10176890
- Wu D, Liu YY, Wang T, Huang YY, Xia P. Computed tomography-guided lung biopsy with rapid on-site evaluation for diagnosis of lung lesions: a meta-analysis. . 2023. PMID 37038189 · DOI · PMC10088145
- Heerink WJ, de Bock GH, de Jonge GJ, Groen HJ, Vliegenthart R, Oudkerk M. Complication rates of CT-guided transthoracic lung biopsy: meta-analysis. Eur Radiol. 2017. PMID 27108299 · DOI · PMC5127875
- Havelock T, Teoh R, Laws D, Gleeson F, BTS Pleural Disease Guideline Group. Pleural procedures and thoracic ultrasound: British Thoracic Society Pleural Disease Guideline 2010. Thorax. 2010. PMID 20696688 · DOI
- Alrajab S, Youssef AM, Akkus NI, Caldito G. Pleural ultrasonography versus chest radiography for the diagnosis of pneumothorax: review of the literature and meta-analysis. Crit Care. 2013. PMID 24060427 · DOI · PMC4057340
- Wu CC, Maher MM, Shepard JA. Complications of CT-guided percutaneous needle biopsy of the chest: prevention and management. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2011. PMID 21606253 · DOI
- Tschopp JM, Bintcliffe O, Astoul P, Canalis E, Driesen P, Janssen J, et al.. ERS task force statement: diagnosis and treatment of primary spontaneous pneumothorax. Eur Respir J. 2015. PMID 26113675 · DOI
- Ding W, Shen Y, Yang J, He X, Zhang M. Diagnosis of pneumothorax by radiography and ultrasonography: a meta-analysis. Chest. 2011. PMID 21546439 · DOI
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-11-04; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-11-04.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.