21st February 2025

Investigation of pneumothorax

The first-line investigation in suspected pneumothorax is an erect chest X-ray. 

CT chest should be considered if the diagnosis remains uncertain or in the context of chest trauma. CT can be helpful in differentiating pneumothorax from bullous lung disease, identifying underlying lung pathology, and accurately determining pneumothorax size.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons (2010). Expiration-left-side-pneumo, Licensed under a creative commons licence. Available for free at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Expiration-left-side-pneumo.jpg#/media/File:Expiration-left-side-pneumo.jpg (Accessed: 19 January 2024).