Edson Marchiori, Gláucia Zanetti, Rosana Souza Rodrigues, Luciana Soares Souza,
Arthur Soares Souza Jr, Flávia Angélica Ferreira Francisco, Bruno Hochhegger
J Bras Pneumol.2012;38(6):797-802
Endometriosis is a benign gynecological disorder associated with pelvic pain and infertility, primarily affecting women of reproductive age. Thoracic endometriosis affects the pulmonary parenchyma or pleura. We report the cases of two patients with pleural endometriosis who presented with recurrent pneumothorax. In both cases, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the chest showed right hydropneumothorax and well-defined, rounded nodules on the pleural surface in the right hemithorax. We conclude that MRI is a good option for the characterization of pleural endometriotic nodules and hemorrhagic pleural effusion.
Keywords: Endometriosis; Magnetic resonance imaging; Pneumothorax.