Giant bronchogenic cyst masquerading as tension pneumothorax radiographic and CT findings

Pulmonary bronchogenic cysts with tracheobronchial communication may occasionally mimic tension pneumothorax leading to unnecessary thoracostomy. We describe such a case to emphasize that cautious identification of the direction of displacement of the collapsed lung tissue on chest radiograph or computed tomography (CT) may help in differentiating these two diseases. Tension pneumothorax should lead to centripetal compression of the ipsilateral lung toward the hilum while giant bronchogenic cysts result in centrifugal displacement of the adjacent lung away from the hilum.