The value of video-assisted thoracic surgery in the treatment of spontaneous pneumothorax

Objective To explore the value of video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) in the treatment of spontaneous pneumothorax compared with traditional operation methods.Methods Patients with spontaneous pneumothorax were assigned into traditional operation group (n=39) and VATS group (n=48) according to operation methods.Incision lengths,blood losses,operation time,drainage tube remove time,postoperative drainage,length of stay and recurrence rate were compared between 2 groups.Results Incision lengths,blood losses,operation time,drainage tube remove time,postoperative drainage and length of stay in VATS group were shorter compared with traditional operation group (P0.05).No difference of recurrence rate could be detected within 1 year between 2 groups (P 0.05).Conclusion VATS is an effective treatment for spontaneous pneumothorax,and has some advantage over traditional operation methods.