title: [Diagnostic and treatment strategy for patients with the first episode of primary spontaneous pneumothorax].
abstract: A retrospective analysis of 198 patients (164 men and 28 women) with the first episode of primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) was made. All the patients underwent diagnostic thoracoscopy (DT) under local anesthesia before insertion of a chest tube. For 115 patients the chest tube thoracoscopy was the only treatment procedure (group I) and 77 patients underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic (VATS) wedge (atypical) resection and pleurectomy (group II). The patients were followed-up from 13 through 77 months. In group I there were 19 recurrences (16.5%), and only two recurrences in group II. In patients of group II having no pathological changes there were no recurrences while in group I there were two (3.3%). The recurrence rate in patients with pathological changes (II, III and IV stages of Vanderschuren classification) was 3% after VATS and as high as 31.5% after the chest tube treatment. The diagnostic thoracoscopy should be performed in all patients with the first episode of PSP for the assessment of the lung and pleura condition. The presence of any pathological changes points to a high risk of recurrences and should be considered as an indication for antirelapse measures (VATS). Surgery is not necessary when no morphological alterations are revealed at DT.
authors.forename: P K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Iablonskiĭ
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Atiukov
authors.forename: V G
authors.initials: VG
authors.lastname: Pishchik
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: El'kina
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011030:Pneumothorax / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery*; D013396:Suction; D013906:Thoracoscopy