Background: COVID-19,which pathogen virus officially named SARS-CoV-2, started in China Wuhan city and so far rapidly spread to a global outbreak. Since the lung is the main lesion organ for virus invasion, Chest CT is strongly recommended in COVID-19 on either initial diagnosis and follow-up.Multiple patchy shadows and ground glass opacity of bilateral lung are typical features of CT scan,and spontaneous pneumothorax appeared in the early onset of COVID-19 is rare.
Case Presentation: We reported one case of spontaneous pneumothorax in the early onset of COVID-19, chest CT showed only a small amount of pneumothorax were seen in the right lobe.After receiving 4 days of treatment, re-examination chest CT shows right pneumothorax disappeared, but the patient was clinically worse, and progressive multiple diffuse consolidation. Although treatment with extracorporeal membrane oxygenator,the patient died 15 days after admission.
Conclusion: Spontaneous pneumothorax in the early stages of COVID-19 is rare,which imaging features differ from other lung diseases complicated with pneumothorax,such as COPD.More than we usually know,the improvement of pneumothorax and the outcome of COVID-19 may be inconsistent.