Clinical observation of fatal bilateral spontaneous pneumothorax in wegener granulomatosis, which simulated lung cancer

We present a clinical observation of a 77 year-old patient admitted to the hospital with a sharp deterioration in the course of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The results of computed tomography of the chest read in favor of a newly detected malignant neoplasm of the upper lobe of the right lung with invasion into the mediastinum and secondary disseminations in the lower lobe of the left lung and liver. The performed fiber-optic bronchoscopy with a transbronchial lung biopsy did not verify the cancer diagnosis. The patient developed a bilateral spontaneous pneumothorax with the formation of bilateral bronchial-pleural fistulae with a massive air discharge through the pleural drainage. The presence of bilateral large bronchopleural fistulae did not allow a surgical intervention which required a separate intubation of the main bronchi. Minimally invasive techniques were ineffective. The patient died on the third day from the moment of the bilateral pneumothorax development due to severe respiratory failure. The autopsy established the diagnosis of Wegener's granulomatosis affecting the lungs and kidneys.