Spontaneous Pneumomediastinum and Bilateral Pneumothoraces in a Patient with Bleomycin-Induced Pneumonitis

Abstract

Bleomycin lung toxicity is well established and can manifest as bleomycin-induced pneumonitis, but pneumomediastinum and pneumothorax are very rare complications. We report the case of a 73-year-old woman, recently treated with bleomycin for Hodgkin's disease, who was admitted for bleomycin-induced pneumonitis. Two weeks later she had a pneumomediastinum with extensive subcutaneous emphysema and small bilateral pneumothoraces. Three months after that she was readmitted for dyspnoea. The CT scan showed complete regression of the pneumomediastinum but extensive bilateral ground-glass infiltrates. The patient died from respiratory failure 2 weeks later.Copyright © EFIM 2017.