title: Spontaneous pneumothorax. When and how to treat.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Spontaneous pneumothorax, whether primary or secondary, may occur in patients with or without a history of pneumonic disease.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  From 1992 to 2002, we treated 275 patients, 230 male and 45 female, in the department of Thoracic Surgery of the General Hospital of Nikaia-Piraeus. In this study the Authors report the data concerning the frequency correlated with age, sex, causes, symptoms, as well as the ways of treatment, in order to compare them and their results with those recorded in Greek and international literature.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is made obvious by our material that only approximately 10% of patients suffering from spontaneous pneumothorax need surgery (thoracotomy), while the remaining patients can be managed with closed thoracic drainage or conservative treatment and monitoring.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, General State Hospital "Agios Panteleimon" of Nikaia, Piraeus, Greece.
authors.forename: Efestatious K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Metaxas
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Condilis
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tzatzadakis
authors.forename: Athanasios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dervisoglou
authors.forename: Kalliope
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Athanasiadi
authors.forename: Michael I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Gerazounis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015505:Chest Tubes; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011030:Pneumothorax / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013396:Suction / Q000379:methods; D013908:Thoracotomy / Q000379:methods; D016896:Treatment Outcome