CTICasesAcupuncture-Induced Pneumothorax
Imaging findings
Chest radiograph in a slender female patient presenting with acute right-sided chest pain shows a large right pneumothorax, which was treated with tube thoracostomy. The patient had undergone acupuncture the day prior, with needles placed in the thoracic paraspinal region.
Key takeaways
Pneumothorax is a well-known iatrogenic complication of acupuncture. In slender patients, the distance from the skin surface to the visceral pleura is minimal, particularly in the paraspinal and intercostal regions. Deep needle placement can easily puncture the lung, and the development of acute chest pain or dyspnea during or shortly after a session should prompt emergency radiographic evaluation.
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