Treatment of intractable pneumothorax

Efficacy of PGA sheet + fibrin glue method

Abstract

We report a case of intractable pneumothorax in a 78 year old man. Because of the presence of brittle pulmonary parenchyma, severe pleural adhesion, and his poor performance status, we hesitated to perform orthodox surgical fistula closure. We chose to perform the PGA sheet + fibrin glue method under key hole surgery instead. His intractable pneumothorax was cured successfully, and the ipsilateral lung has been re-expanded for 5 months. The PGA sheet + fibrin glue method may be a substitute technique to close a pleural fistula with minimum invasion.