Foods to avoid with pneumothorax

Written by Zhang Zhi Gong
Cardiothoracic Surgery
Updated on February 08, 2025
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We know that the lung tissue of a normal person is like a balloon. When breathing, this balloon expands and contracts, and there are about hundreds of millions of small structures in the lungs like balloons, which we call alveolar tissue. This structure also continuously expands and contracts, expelling carbon dioxide and inhaling oxygen. For certain reasons, such as infection or due to the body shape of tall, thin young people, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and bronchitis in elderly people, this alveolar structure can rupture, causing some alveoli to merge into a large bulla. Of course, if the large bulla eventually ruptures, the break in this balloon-like surface will leak air into the pleural cavity, causing a pneumothorax. As for the nutrition from food, we believe that patients should not refrain from certain foods, but should instead increase their intake of protein, such as eating three to four egg whites daily. If worried about high cholesterol, discard the yolk, consuming only one yolk per day, but ensuring adequate protein intake. Therefore, for patients with pneumothorax, it is not about avoiding certain foods, but about eating more of those foods to which they are not allergic, such as shrimp and beef, rather than restricting their diet.

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Written by Han Shun Li
Pulmonology
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Can pneumothorax patients take a plane?

Pneumothorax is a relatively common clinical condition, usually caused by a rupture of the pleura, allowing air to enter the pleural cavity. Patients often experience symptoms such as chest pain, difficulty breathing, and coughing. So, can someone with pneumothorax fly on an airplane? Patients with pneumothorax are prohibited from flying because the high altitude may aggravate the condition, leading to serious consequences. Even after pneumothorax has healed, it is advised not to fly within a year, as flying may cause the pneumothorax to recur.

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Written by Li Tao
Pulmonology
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Pneumothorax is what disease?

Pneumothorax refers to the condition where gas enters the pleural cavity. Normally, the pleural cavity is a sealed space formed by the visceral pleura covering the lung surface and the parietal pleura on the chest wall. When gas enters the pleural cavity due to some reason, causing a state of gas accumulation, it is called pneumothorax. The causes of pneumothorax can be diseases of the lungs themselves or gas produced after the lungs and chest wall are injured by external forces. Typically, the condition occurs when the pleura near the lung surface ruptures, allowing gas to enter the pleural cavity, which is referred to as pneumothorax.

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Written by Li Hu Chen
Imaging Center
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How to Read a Pneumothorax X-ray

Pneumothorax has typical manifestations on a chest X-ray. Normally, the pulmonary markings on both sides are quite clear and visible. However, when a pneumothorax occurs, the part of the lung tissue with these markings tends to be compressed due to the accumulation of a large amount of gas in the surrounding pleural cavity, pushing the lung to contract towards the center. Around the periphery, these lung margins, which are outside the lung, meaning inside the pleural cavity, display the gas as very uniform and fine, without any markings. This is because it is pure gas, simply air, hence it is impossible for it to have markings. There is a particularly distinct demarcation line, a thin line, between this part of the pleural cavity and the lungs. Through these features, one can determine the presence of a pneumothorax.

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Written by Zhang Zhi Gong
Cardiothoracic Surgery
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Pneumothorax CT manifestations

Pneumothorax CT manifestations, we know that there is a potential gap between the lungs and the chest wall in normal individuals, but normally, this gap or cavity is under negative pressure. This negative pressure ensures that the lungs are pressed tightly against the chest wall and the pleura, also containing a certain amount of lubricating fluid which allows for movement during inhalation without excessive friction causing pain. However, if due to some reason, such as a burst large or small pulmonary bullae, air enters this potential cavity or the pleural space, it is referred to as pneumothorax. Moreover, on a CT scan, it is distinctly visible that part of the chest cavity shows an area devoid of air-containing lung structures, indicating the absence of normal lung in this region. Normally on CT, a healthy lung appears like a sponge, so this phenomenon reveals sponge-like tissue, referred to as lung texture. But when air enters, the pressure from the air can compress the lung, causing it to collapse, similar to a deflating balloon. In addition, part of the CT imaging presents as dark areas around the periphery where lung textures are absent or cavities appear, referred to as pneumothorax.

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Written by Zhang Zhi Gong
Cardiothoracic Surgery
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How to treat recurrent pneumothorax for the second time?

Patients with recurrent pneumothorax, we recommend proactive minimally invasive surgical intervention. For patients experiencing their first recurrence of pneumothorax, the likelihood of a second recurrence is about 20-30%. For those who have had two episodes of pneumothorax, it indicates the presence of a small rupture on the lung, or an area that has not healed well, or is particularly weak. Thus, for patients who have had two episodes or a second occurrence of pneumothorax, if they do not receive active treatment, the probability of a third recurrence rises to about 70-80%. Whether using minimally invasive surgery or the conservative method of simple tube insertion, both are certainly burdensome for the patient. However, for patients with a second occurrence of pneumothorax, undergoing a small minimally invasive surgery, which involves a small incision of one to two centimeters under the armpit to treat the pneumothorax, dramatically reduces the likelihood of subsequent occurrences from the previous 70-80% to below 10%. Therefore, the best treatment for a second pneumothorax episode is through minimally invasive surgical intervention.