Pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis causing spontaneous bilateral pneumothorax in a child

Abstract

Bilateral pneumothorax is very rare in childhood. Moreover, if it is due to pulmonary involvement of Langerhans cell histiocytosis, it is even rarer in childhood. In our case, a nonsmoker 12-year-old boy presented with bilateral pneumothorax, whose high-resolution computed tomography scan was highly suggestive of pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis. Excision biopsy of a clinically palpable cervical lymph node and histopathological examination and immunohistochemistry positivity for CD1a indicated a diagnosis of Langerhans cell histiocytosis. Clinicians should consider pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis in differential diagnoses in dealing such a case.

Keywords

• Bilateral pneumothorax, childhood, pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis