[Therapy of spontaneous pneumothorax. Results of 20 years' experience]

256 spontaneous pneumothorax episodes in 165 patients were treated during the period 1956-1978. Continuous aspiration with drainage of the pleural cavity was employed in 156 cases, and parietal pleurectomy for 36 recurrent or undrainable cases. One patient in the latter group underwent bilateral parietal pleurectomy. The soundness of aspirative drainage on the occasion of the first episode is underscored by the low percentage of recurrences. The indications for pleurectomy are discussed. Its effectiveness is apparent from the good functional results it offers, in addition to an absence of relapses.