[Fibrin glue. A new treatment technic in persistent recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax]

The treatment of choice in idiopathic spontaneous pneumothorax is continuous suction drainage by chest tube for 8--10 days. If this method is not successful, i.e., in patients with a persistent or recurrent pneumothorax, an attempt can be made to produce local pleural adhesions by means of a special fibrin glue, especially in patients with poor general condition. This fibrin glue pleurodesis was performed successfully in seven patients, four of them having a persistent, two a recurrent, and one an iatrogenic pneumothorax. Six of them are now, 3--10 months after therapy, without a recurrence and free of discomfort. One patient died 6 days after treatment from a cerebral stroke. Autopsy showed fibrinous adhesions in the area of the upper lobe. Good tissue compatibility was confirmed histologically.