A 25 year old woman developed a right pleural effusion 6 weeks after commencement of short course chemotherapy for left sided tuberculous pleural effusion. Since the patient improved following continuation of the same treatment, it is presumed to be a case of paradoxical response to anti-tuberculosis treatment.
Pulmonary atelectasis may be caused by endobronchial lesions or by extrinsic compression of the bronchus. However, lung collapse due to compression from a thoracic aneurysm is uncommon. We report a 76-year-old hypertensive female patient who has pulmonary atelectasis due to an extrinsic compression from a descending thoracic aortic aneurysm, and discuss possible treatment options.