Abstract:

Endometriosis is a common chronic disease in women of reproductive age, among which thoracic endometriosis syndrome is a relatively rare type. Endometrial-like tissue moves into the thoracic cavity and causes a variety of clinical manifestations related to the menstruation, including catamenial pneumothorax, hemothorax, hemoptysis, pulmonary nodules and chest pain. Among them, menstrual pneumothorax is the most common. The pathogenesis of this disease is not yet fully understood. At present, there are many hypotheses explaining how endometrial tissue moves into the thoracic cavity and the pathogenesis of menstrual pneumothorax, but there is no single hypothesis that can explain all the clinical manifestations of thoracic endometriosis syndrome. The examinations include radiological imaging (e.g., chest X-ray, CT and MRI), histological examination and so on. Management of this disease includes drug treatment and surgery. Drug therapy is the first-line treatment, among which gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists are the first-line drugs. For patients who still relapse after drug treatment or cannot tolerate the adverse reactions caused by drug treatment, surgical treatment should be considered and drug treatment should be supplemented after surgery.

Key words: Endometriosis, Thoracic endometriosis syndrome, Catamenial pneumothorax, Diagnosis, Therapy