両側胸腔の交通による両側同時性気胸（バッファローチェスト）

Simultaneous Bilateral Pneumothorax due to the Communication of Both Thoracic Cavity

両側同時性気胸はしばしば経験される．多くは両側同時性の肺囊胞の破裂が原因であり，胸腔間交通によるものはまれである．われわれは，食道癌術後の両側同時性気胸の1例を経験したので報告する．

We report a case of a simultaneous bilateral pneumothorax （buffalo chest）. A 75-year-old man who had undergone resection of an esophageal carcinoma had difficulty in breathing and lost consciousness. He was transported to our hospital and diagnosed as a simultaneous bilateral pneumothorax. He underwent bilateral chest drainages, and was hospitalized. Because of the continued air leak, an operation was performed. First, thoracoscopic bullectomy was performed from the left side. Changing the position, the water poured in the left thoracic cavity to test for air leaks flowed out to the right drain in large quantities；thus, a communication between both sides of the thoracic cavity became clear, although we could not find a pleural defect between the thoracic cavities.