Following many procedures in respiratory medicine chest X-rays are requested to exclude development of a pneumothorax. Which of the following is not known to be a cause of pneumothorax?

d. Patients with underlying lung conditions are more likely to develop pneumothoraces than those without. Young, tall men are at risk of developing pneumothoraces spontaneously simply due to their body shape. This diagnosis should always be considered in a young patient with acute onset shortness of breath – although most small pneumothoraces will be reabsorbed, larger ones will require treatment with a chest drain and underwater seal whilst tension pneumothoraces require emergency treatment.

Pulmonary emboli do not predispose to pneumothoraces as they are not predominately a condition of the lung parenchyma but the associated vasculature.