Resection of pulmonary blebs and pleurodesis for spontaneous pneumothorax.

Over a 20-year period, 83 patients underwent operative pleurodesis with resection of pulmonary blebs for spontaneous pneumothorax. Follow-up for all patients was between 5 and 25 years, with a mean of 9.1 years. There were five early (5.6 percent) and three late recurrences (3.6 percent). There were no deaths or need for blood transfusion in our series. There was a low incidence of postoperative fever (n = 8), minor wound infection (n = 6), air leak (n = 6), or pneumonia (n = 2). The low morbidity and recurrence rates compare favorably with published series of alternative treatment options for spontaneous pneumothorax.