Ipsilateral recurrence frequency after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for primary spontaneous pneumothorax.
OBJECTIVE
We retrospectively evaluated the results of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for primary spontaneous pneumothorax and recurrence.


METHODS
A series of 424 patients with primary spontaneous pneumothorax were treated by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery-289 with an ipsilateral recurrent episode, 88 with persistent air leakage for 7 days or longer, 34 with a contralateral episode, 9 with hemopneumothorax, and 4 with tension pneumothorax. The commonest management was stapling of an identified bleb, undertaken in 375 patients (88.4%). Pleural abrasion was conducted in 250 (59.0%), but the abraded area was one-third or less of the thoracic cavity in 187 (74.8%).


RESULTS
No operative deaths occurred. Revisional thoracotomy was required in 1 patient with postoperative bleeding and another with incomplete postoperative lung reexpansion; 26 had prolonged air leakage, but none required revisional thoracotomy. During a mean follow-up of 31.4 months, ipsilateral pneumothorax recurred in 40 patients (9.4%), with 26 (65.0%) having recurrence within 1 year postoperatively. A video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery was conducted again in 8, and thoracotomy in 14.


CONCLUSIONS
The ipsilateral recurrence of primary spontaneous pneumothorax after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery was high at 9.4%. If video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery is to be considered as a treatment for spontaneous pneumothorax, we must therefore reduce postoperative ipsilateral recurrence by training practitioners not to overlook blebs during the procedure and/or consider widening the area of pleurodesis.
Ohno
K
K
Thoracic Surgery Study Group, Osaka University (TSSG), Osaka, Japan.
Miyoshi
S
S
Minami
M
M
Akashi
A
A
Maeda
H
H
Nakagawa
K
K
Matsumura
A
A
Nakamura
K
K
Matsuda
H
H
Ohashi
S
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011030:Pneumothorax / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D011184:Postoperative Period; D012008:Recurrence; D020775:Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted