[Treatment of spontaneous pneumothorax]

The results of treatment of 418 patients with spontaneous pneumothorax are discussed. A total of 167 operations were carried out; they consisted in direct removal of the cause of the pneumothorax and operative pleurodesis. The complex of surgical measures included drainage of the pleural cavity, costal or apical pleurectomy, laser pleurodesis, and one-stage operation on both lungs by means of median sternotomy. Precise indications for applying each of the methods described were defined. Recurrent pneumothorax after the operative interventions was not encountered.