Pneumothoraces due to tuberous sclerosis

Case contributed by Stefan Tigges
Diagnosis certain

Presentation

Shortness of breath.

Patient Data

Age: 30 years
Gender: Female
Frontal
Lateral
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Bilateral pneumothoraces wiith diffusely increased lung markings.

This study is a stack
Axial lung
window
This study is a stack
Axial
non-contrast
This study is a stack
Coronal
lung window
This study is a stack
Coronal
non-contrast
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Left pleural pigtail catheter, trace left pneumothorax. Multiple thin-walled cysts both lungs, fairly uniform in size and distribution. Bibasilar atelectasis, no pleural effusions

This study is a stack
Axial C+ portal
venous phase
This study is a stack
Coronal C+ portal
venous phase
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Bilateral fat-containing renal tumours, aneurysm inferior pole right kidney with surrounding haematoma and possible active extravasation. Fat-containing liver masses.

Frontal
Renal artery
Frontal
Renal artery
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Tortuous vessels with multiple small aneurysms. Interval embolisation of the right inferior pole aneurysm that was present on the abdominal CT scan.

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Multiple bilateral calcified subependymal nodules.

Case Discussion

Characteristic findings of tuberous sclerosis involving the lungs (cysts), liver (hepatic angiomyolipomas), both kidneys (renal angiomyolipomas) and the brain (calcified subependymal hamartomas). All of these abnormalities are associated with complications: 1) lung cysts may rupture and cause a pneumothorax, 2) hepatic angiomyolipomas may bleed, 3) renal angiomyolipomas are hypervascular and form aneurysms and may bleed and 4) subependymal hamartomas may become subependymal giant cell astrocytomas and obstruct the ventricular system, leading to hydrocephalus.

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