Bilateral pneumothorax after liposuction: a rare complication
Abstract
Pneumothorax is a rare complication of liposuction, usually unilateral and following suctioning over the thoracic wall; bilateral pneumothorax and upper-limb involvement are distinctly unusual. A 42-year-old healthy woman presented 11 h after liposuction of the bilateral upper limbs and upper back with dyspnea, left-sided pleuritic chest pain, and upper-body swelling. She was tachycardic and in respiratory distress. Chest radiography showed bilateral pneumothorax with extensive soft-tissue emphysema, and computed tomography confirmed bilateral hydropneumothorax while excluding pulmonary embolism. Bilateral tube thoracostomy achieved lung re-expansion. Hemoglobin fell from 7.4 to 5.9 g/dL despite minimal chest-tube drainage, consistent with occult soft-tissue bleeding, and was corrected by transfusion. She recovered fully. Pneumothorax should be considered in any patient with respiratory symptoms after liposuction, even when the abdomen and flanks are untreated; a normal oxygen saturation on supplemental oxygen should not delay imaging, and vigilance for occult hemorrhage is warranted.
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BibTeX
@article{zamil2026bilateral,
title = {{Bilateral pneumothorax after liposuction: a rare complication}},
author = {Jude Al Zamil and Munirah Alrasheed and Sahar Alshammery and Hamad Al Bahili},
journal = {Journal of surgical case reports},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1093/jscr/rjag1014},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13723263},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Bilateral pneumothorax after liposuction: a rare complication
AU - Jude Al Zamil
AU - Munirah Alrasheed
AU - Sahar Alshammery
AU - Hamad Al Bahili
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Journal of surgical case reports
DO - 10.1093/jscr/rjag1014
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13723263
AB - Pneumothorax is a rare complication of liposuction, usually unilateral and following suctioning over the thoracic wall; bilateral pneumothorax and upper-limb involvement are distinctly unusual. A 42-year-old healthy woman presented 11 h after liposuction of the bilateral upper limbs and upper back with dyspnea, left-sided pleuritic chest pain, and upper-body swelling. She was tachycardic and in respiratory distress. Chest radiography showed bilateral pneumothorax with extensive soft-tissue emphysema, and computed tomography confirmed bilateral hydropneumothorax while excluding pulmonary embolism. Bilateral tube thoracostomy achieved lung re-expansion. Hemoglobin fell from 7.4 to 5.9 g/dL despite minimal chest-tube drainage, consistent with occult soft-tissue bleeding, and was corrected by transfusion. She recovered fully. Pneumothorax should be considered in any patient with respiratory symptoms after liposuction, even when the abdomen and flanks are untreated; a normal oxygen saturation on supplemental oxygen should not delay imaging, and vigilance for occult hemorrhage is warranted.
SN - 2042-8812
ER -