Bilateral pneumothoraces as a complication of acupuncture

Su JW, Lim CH, Chua YL
Correspondence: Dr Su Jang Wen, bottle1001@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT
Pneumothorax developing secondary to acupuncture is rare. However, in an undiagnosed case, it may cause fatality. The real incidence of acupuncture-related pneumothorax is not known but is acknowledged to be underdiagnosed and under-reported. We describe pneumothorax occurring in a 52-year-old woman who developed bilateral pneumothoraces, with one side being a tension pneumothorax, immediately following acupuncture. The needle was inserted at a paravertebral point at the level of the third vertebral spinous process.

Keywords: acupuncture, alternative medicine, pneumothorax
Singapore Med J 2007; 48(1): e32–e33