Abstract
From January 1986 through June 2001, 16 patients under 15 years of age with spontaneous pneumothorax were admitted to our hospital and underwent operations. We performed mid-axillary thoracotomy in 6, and thoracoscopic surgery in the remaining 10 patients. There was no significant difference in the age between the two groups. However, the operating time, the duration of drainage and the postoperative hospital stay were significantly shorter in the thoracoscopic surgery group than in the thoracotomy group. From the cosmetic standpoint, the former was superior to the latter. Therefore, the thoracoscopic surgery is very useful for pediatric patients with spontaneous pneumothorax.
