Video-assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery for Primary Spontaneous Pneumothorax : A single Institution Experience

The objective is to review our experience of the treatment of primary spontaneous pneumothorax by videoassisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). We analyzed the clinical features of 90 primary spontaneous pneumothorax patients who underwent VATS from January 2009 to June 2015 at our institution. Retrospective chart review was followed by an on-clinic or telephone interview. Seventy-eight males and twelve female, with age ranging from 15 to 52 years (mean 28 years), were treated with VATS for primary spontaneous pneumothorax. The mean operative time was 58 min (range 39-147 min). There was no postoperative mortality. However, prolonged air leakage (>5d) occurred in five patient (5.5 %) who recovered after conservative treatment. The mean duration of chest tube drainage was 2.8 days and the median follow up period was 62 months. There were 2 recurrence cases during the follow-up. VATS is a safe and effective treatment option for primary spontaneous pneumothorax. VATS is recommended for patients with primary spontaneous pneumothorax as it has a shorter hospital stay and lower recurrence.