Case Report: Catamenial pneumothorax: clinical characteristics, diagnosis, and management - a report of two cases with a review of the literature.

Pneumothorax is a pathological condition in which gas enters the pleural cavity due to trauma, surgery, positive-pressure ventilation, thoracentesis, or other causes, leading to compression and collapse of the lung tissue. It exhibits a male predominance and can occur in all age groups. Catamenial pneumothorax, also referred to as thoracic endometriosis syndrome-associated pneumothorax, is a rare subtype. It is characterized by spontaneous and recurrent pneumothorax occurring in women of reproductive age during the perimenstrual period. Clinicians often fail to associate pneumothorax with the menstrual cycle, resulting in a high rate of misdiagnosis in clinical practice, which in turn leads to recurrent episodes and protracted clinical courses. This article presents two case reports, summarizes and analyzes their clinical features, and explores diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, with the aim of enhancing awareness of the association between recurrent pneumothorax and menstruation in women of reproductive age, thereby reducing underdiagnosis and misdiagnosis.