title: The usefulness of two-port video-assisted thoracosopic surgery in low-risk patients with secondary spontaneous pneumothorax compared with open thoracotomy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Secondary spontaneous pneumothorax is difficult to treat and has been thought to have high morbidity and mortality rate due to the underlying diseases and presence of comorbidities in the patients. However, early surgical intervention will be beneficial if it is tolerable by the patient. In the surgical approach for treating pneumothorax, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) may reduce the postoperative drainage period and hospital stay compared with open thoracotomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective review of the clinical data of 40 patients with secondary spontaneous pneumothorax who underwent open thoracotomy (n = 20) or two-port VATS (n = 20) between January 2008 and December 2012 was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Postoperative drainage period of open thoracotomy group and two-port VATS group was 9.85 ± 5.28 and 6.75 ± 2.45, respectively, with a significant inter-group difference. Postoperative hospital stay was 11.8 ± 5.12 in the open thoracotomy group and 8.25 ± 2.88 in the two-port VATS group, with a significant inter-group difference. Recurrence rate and postoperative complication rate were not significant between the two groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In selected patients with secondary spontaneous pneumothorax treated with surgical approach, two-port VATS resulted in shorter postoperative drainage period and hospital stay compared with open thoracotomy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Pusan Paik Hospital, College of Medicine, Inje University, Gimhae, Korea.
authors.forename: Kyoung Taek
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Park
keywords: Secondary spontaneous pneumothorax; open thoracotomy two-port video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery