Publication:

Medical thoracoscopy in thoracic endometriosis: a diagnostic tool in a rare scenario

Medical thoracoscopy is a tool employed in the evaluation of pleural effusions when initial diagnostic thoracocentesis and standard conventional therapies prove to be ineffective. Thoracic endometriosis (TE) is an uncommon form of extra pelvic endometriosis, characterized by endometrial cells in thoracic cavity which can be parenchymal, pleural and diaphragmatic. TE typically manifest as catamenial pneumothorax followed by catamenial hemothorax, catamenial hemoptysis and occasionally as pulmonary nodules. We present a case involving a 29 year old female experiencing secondary infertility and recurrent right sided chest pain and dyspnea since three months. Chest radiography revealed right hydropneumothorax. As her symptoms correlated cyclically with menstruation, a high suspicion of TE was made and later confirmed on histopathology by medical thoracoscopy.