[The catamenial pneumothorax: a diagnosis often overlooked]. / Le pneumothorax cataménial : un diagnostic souvent méconnu.

The catamenial pneumothorax (CP) is defined as recurrent pneumothorax occurring from the day before menstruations until 72 hours after their beginning, but remains a diagnostic and therapeutic problem. We herein report the cases of two young women who presented several episodes of pneumothorax. The first patient (28 years old) underwent 18 recurrent pneumothorax before the diagnosis of CP. The video-assisted mini-thoracotomy found many diaphragmatic perforations, which were sutured after resection and biopsy. The latter patient underwent four pneumothorax before diagnosis of CP. A video-assisted mini-thoracotomy associated with pleurectomy and pleural freshening was then performed. CP is a rare entity of spontaneous pneumothorax often associated with thoracic endometriosis. The difficulty remains in diagnosis (diagnostic delay before the start of appropriate care), as well as in the treatment. Overall, CP requires a multidisciplinary approach combining pulmonology, thoracic surgery and gynecology.

[Benign trachobronchial schwannoma treated by complete endoscopic resection followed by cryotherapy]. / Schwannome trachéal bénin traité par exérèse endoscopique et cryocoagulation.

INTRODUCTION: Tracheobronchial schwannoma is a rare benign airway tumour. There is no evidence to guide treatment for this condition. CASE REPORT: A 76-year-old woman with a history of ischemic cardiomyopathy was hospitalized for dyspnoea with bronchial symptoms. Incidentally, the CT scan of the chest identified a tracheal mass. The bronchoscopy revealed a multilobar and regular whitish tumour with moderate vascularisation that was not causing obstruction. The patient was treated by complete resection with a rigid bronchoscope followed by cryotherapy. The histopathologic diagnosis was of a benign schwannoma without malignant elements. There was no recurrence during the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: There is no consensus as to the optimal management of tracheal schwannoma because of the rarity of this tumour. Our observation supports the use of endoscopic resection with the additional of local cryotherapy which may reduce the risk of recurrence.