Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for management of spontaneous pneumothorax

Spontaneous pneumothorax is a common problem facing thoracic surgeons, occurring in about nine individuals per 100,000 each year. Treatment options include observation, chest tube thoracostomy, and thoracotomy with or without pleurodesis. When surgery is indicated, thoracoscopic surgery has been shown to provide excellent results with low morbidity, low recurrence, high patient acceptance, a shorter hospital stay and possibly decreased costs. In this article, we present the successful treatment of two cases of recurrent pneumothorax via video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, combined with mechanical and chemical pleurodesis.