[Pneumothorax Secondary to Pulmonary Tuberculosis].

The typical clinical presentation of pulmonary tuberculosis is defined by a long-term respiratory and constitutional semiology. However, the overlapping of acute symptomatology may occur, with secondary pneumothorax being a rare but documented presentation. The authors present the case of a 58-year-old male patient who presented at the emergency room with a one day history of thoracalgia on the left hemithorax. He also reported weight loss, night sweats and fatigue for a few months. The physical examination revealed left decreased breath sounds. Chest X-ray showed left pneumothorax, with bilateral pleuroparenchymal reinforcement and computerized tomography scan showed left pneumothorax, conditioning atelectasis of the pulmonary parenchyma and bilateral apical cavity images. Thoracic drainage was placed in the 5th left intercostal space of the anterior axillary line. Microbiological examination of sputum revealed the presence of mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. He was hospitalized under tuberculostatic medication, and presented good evolution.