Young adult with cystic fibrosis with continued shortness of breath after chest tube placement

Chest
CXR of chest tube malposition with chest tube in the lung parenchyma
CXR AP (left) shows chronic interstitial fibrosis and scarring in the lungs, a left-sided chest tube, and a moderately-sized basilar left pleural air collection manifesting as a deep sulcus sign. Gross pathological specimen (right) shows the left chest tube entering the upper lobe of the left lung.

The diagnosis was persistent pneumothorax in a patient with cystic fibrosis due to the chest tube tip not being in the pleural space.

Published