A comparative retrospective study of thoracoscopy versus thoracotomy for the treatment of spontaneous pneumothorax.

Thoracoscopic surgery has been claimed to reduce patient disability, recovery time, and hospital costs compared with open surgery. We analyzed 25 patients who had undergone thoracoscopic surgery and compared the outcome to 24 patients who had undergone conventional surgery for spontaneous pneumothorax. The thoracoscopic group was able to return to work and daily activities earlier and had less impairment of shoulder movement. There was a loss of sensation corresponding to the dermatomes where the thoracoscopic ports were placed, which could have resulted from compression of the intercostal nerves by the instruments. However, a similar loss of sensation was found in the thoracotomy group. We conclude that thoracoscopy may be the method of choice for the treatment of spontaneous pneumothorax, although further methodological development should be done.