Operative thoracoscopy for recurring pneumothorax.

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery has markedly changed the management of recurrent pneumothorax. Thoracotomy is no longer the routine approach for the surgical treatment of bullae, partial pleurectomy, or various methods of pleurodesis. Many surgical procedures on the lung and the pleura can be performed endoscopically as safely and easily as in open thoracic surgery. These new techniques have been assessed in 94 patients. An early analysis of the postoperative data shows that the minimally invasive procedure reduces postoperative discomfort and the length of hospital stay; the rate of recurrence is no higher than that for open pneumothorax surgery.