ICVTS Click here for other ICVTS advertising opportunities
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Personal Folders
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Permission Requests
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Chou, S. H.
Right arrow Articles by Kao, E. L.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Chou, S. H.
Right arrow Articles by Kao, E. L.
Related Collections
Right arrow Pleura
Right arrow Minimally invasive surgery
Interactive Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery 2:552-554(2003)
© 2003 European Association of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery

Institutional review - Thoracic general

Is video-assisted thoracic surgery indicated in the first episode primary spontaneous pneumothorax?

Shah Hwa Chou*, Yu-Jen Cheng and Eing Long Kao

Department of Surgery, Kaohsiung Medical University, 100 Shih Chuan 1st Road, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +886-7-312-1101x6301; fax: +886-7-312-7056
shhwch{at}cc.kmu.edu.tw

Primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) is a very common disease and recurrence is a major concern for the post-first-time victims. Owing to the convenience and popularity of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), should we still wait for recurrence before we perform this minimal invasive procedure to cure the disease? Between 1997 and 2002, 51 patients of PSP from the first episode received VATS the day after their admission at Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital. Forty-five patients (90%) were found to have blebs (mostly above the upper lobe). They all received wedge resection plus pleural abrasion. No mortality was recorded. The average postoperative hospital stay was 4 days. After a follow-up period of 38 months, no recurrence or complication was found. The patients are now living in good health. We found a high percentage of blebs. These are possible causes of subsequent recurrence. Surgical intervention with VATS for the first episode of PSP is safe, effective, and cosmetically excellent. The most important thing is that the fear of recurrence is finally resolved.

Key Words: Spontaneous pneumothorax; Recurrence; Surgical indications

HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
ANN THORAC SURG ASIAN CARDIOVASC THORAC ANN EUR J CARDIOTHORAC SURG
J THORAC CARDIOVASC SURG ICVTS ALL CTSNet JOURNALS
Copyright © 2003 European Association for Cardio-thoracic Surgery