pneumothorax following endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography; a case report

Aims: a catastrophic side effect of retroperitoneal perforation after ercp is the development of pneumothorax. due to this fatal unexpected complication, clinicians and gastrointestinal specialists should observe the patients regarding ercp by proper physical examination. patient & methods: the patient was a 52-year-old woman with cbd stone who underwent surgery for severe abdominal pain after ercp, but because of her general condition deterioration after surgery and the evidence of pneumothorax in chest x-ray, she underwent chest tube insertion and tissue debridement of necrotic tissue. findings: pancreatitis is a common complication post-ercp; however, it tends to be right-sided or bilateral, while in our case, the pneumothorax involves the left side. this scarcity seems to be as a result of the adhesions between the retroperitoneum and anterior aortic sheath as an anatomic barrier. conclusion: post-ercp pneumothorax can occur in different pathophysiological ways, but the most important step in this regard is to identify this ominous complication and take appropriate treatment as soon as possible.