Traitement chirurgical du pneumothorax spontané

Spontaneous pneumothorax may be primary (occurring in healthy subjects) or secondary (occurring in individuals with pulmonary disease). The risk of recurrence is about 30%. Surgery is indicated in case of persistence despite drainage or incomplete lung reexpansion, first recurrence, or bilateral pneumothorax. Surgical management consists in resection of bullous area and pleurodesis. The techniques used for pleurodesis are the chemical pleurodesis, the mechanical abrasion or the parietal pleurectomy. The surgical treatment may be realized either by thoracotomy or by video-assisted thoracic surgery which is the preferential technique in case of a patient with primary spontaneous pneumothorax.