2023 Volume 37 Issue 6 Pages 508-514
Postoperative patients with primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) often complain of anxiety over the possible occurrence of contralateral pneumothorax in the future. However, recurrence has been investigated in only a few studies. In this study, two hundred and twenty-seven patients with PSP underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) between January 2018 and March 2021. The tendency to develop contralateral pneumothorax was investigated. The median age was 22 years. The median maximum diameter of the contralateral bullae was 9.8 mm. Contralateral pneumothorax after surgery occurred in 27 cases (11.9%). Based on uni- and multivariate analyses, significant risk factors for the development of contralateral pneumothorax were: under the age of 25 years, and more than 10-mm maximum diameter contralateral bullae. It was found that 25.7% of patients with ipsilateral PSP involving the two factors developed contralateral pneumothorax postoperatively. In conclusion, those under the age of 25 years as well as with more than 10-mm maximum diameter contralateral bullae at the first VATS are likely to have contralateral pneumothorax in the future.
