title: Hormonal therapy after the operation for catamenial pneumothorax - is it always necessary?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Our recent clinical observations put into question the routine hormonal therapy for pneumothorax recurrence prevention, in patients operated for catamenial pneumothorax (CP).
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective review of the treatment of four women operated for CP in a recent 32-months period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The four presented patients with CP represent 4.8 % of the overall number of patients operated for spontaneous pneumothorax and 19 % of women operated for pneumothorax in the same period. In all patients, typical multiple diaphragm holes existed. The involved part of the diaphragm was removed with diaphragm suture in three patients, whilst in one patient, a diaphragm placation was done. Endometriosis was histologically confirmed in two patients. During the follow-up period of 6-43 months, none of the patients underwent a postoperative hormonal therapy for different reasons, and in none of them the pneumothorax recurrence occurred.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The clinical course of these patients, with the absence of the pneumothorax recurrence despite the omission of the hormonal treatment, suggests that the appropriateness of the routine hormonal treatment with gonadotrophin-releasing hormone analogues for 6-12 months, should be reconsidered and re-evaluated in further studies.
authors.affiliation: Clinic for thoracic surgery, Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia. profsubotic@gmail.com.|University of Belgrade School of medicine, Belgrade, Serbia. profsubotic@gmail.com.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Subotic
authors.affiliation: Clinic for gynaecology "Narodni front", Belgrade, Serbia.|University of Belgrade School of medicine, Belgrade, Serbia.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Mikovic
authors.affiliation: Clinic for thoracic surgery, Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Atanasijadis
authors.affiliation: Clinic for thoracic surgery, Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia.|University of Belgrade School of medicine, Belgrade, Serbia.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Savic
authors.affiliation: Clinic for thoracic surgery, Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Moskovljevic
authors.affiliation: Clinic for gynaecology "Narodni front", Belgrade, Serbia.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Subotic
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D020249:Hormone Replacement Therapy; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011030:Pneumothorax / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000601:surgery; D011184:Postoperative Period; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D020775:Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted
chemical_list: D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone