SPONTANEOUS pneumothorax may be treated by observation, needle aspiration, intercostal drainage, chemical pleurodesis, and surgical pleurodesis. Persistent air leak (longer than five to seven days) or recurrent pneumothoraxes are considered indications for thoracotomy and surgical repair, with or without pleurodesis. The risk of surgical treatment increases with increasing age and the presence of underlying disease. In this group, chemical pleurodesis may avoid the risk of surgery.
Report of Cases
Case 1.—
A 57-year-old man was admitted with increasing dyspnea and pleuritic pain for two days. The past medical history and a review of systems were unremarkable. He smoked two packs of cigarettes per day for the past ten years.Physical examination findings showed the patient to be in mild respiratory distress. The respiratory rate was 22/min, the blood pressure (BP) was 130/80 mm Hg, the heart rate was 86 beats per minute, and the temperature was 37 °C. There was