Presentation
Left chest pain, productive cough and fevers. No past medical history.
Patient Data
Left upper lobe airspace consolidation. Right lung is clear. No pleural fluid collection. Normal cardiomediastinal contour.
Left upper lobe consolidation has increased in size and cavitated. Adjacent linear lucency is suggestive of a pneumothorax.
Large left pneumothorax. Multifocal cavities within the left sided airspace opacification. Right lung is clear. No pleural effusion.
Left pleural drain has been inserted with a small residual left pneumothorax. Left subcutaneous emphysema. Left lung has reinflated with increased left lung opacity to previous.
Case Discussion
S. aureus was cultured from sputum, and is a common causes of necrotizing/cavitating pneumonia. Pneumothoraces are an uncommon complication.