Abstract
We encountered two surgical cases of spontaneous pneumothorax that developed during pregnancy, which are reported as follows. Case 1 was a 28-year-old female. Left pneumothorax developed six months prior to natural conception and at the eighth week of pregnancy, both of which were resolved by thoracic drainage. Left pneumothorax recurred for the third time at the 11th week of pregnancy and persistent pulmonary fistula was noted for four weeks or longer; therefore, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) was performed at the 16th week of pregnancy. The postoperative course was favorable, and a healthy baby was born at full term. Case 2 was a 21-year-old female. Right pneumothorax was diagnosed at the 20th week of pregnancy, which improved with thoracic drainage. Right pneumothorax recurred at the 24th week of pregnancy. Thoracic drainage was performed again; however, she was admitted for surgery since the air leak persisted. The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology cooperated with the Department of Anesthesiology during the perioperative period, and VATS was performed at the 25th week of pregnancy. The postoperative course was favorable, and a healthy baby was born at full term. Although pneumothorax during pregnancy is rare, recurrence is common once it has developed, due to factors involving ventilation; therefore, regular VATS may be possible based on surgical indications in consideration of the gestational age.
