SPONTANEOUS PNEUMOTHORAX - A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY OF 25 PATIENTS AND LITERATURE-REVIEW

We present a retrospective study of 25 patients with spontaneous pneum othorax (three recurrent), comprising 16 Saudis (nine males and seven females) and nine non-Saudis (eight males and one female), seen at the Asir Central Hospital, Abha, over a period of 45 months. Almost one-t hird of the patients (9/25) had no underlying cause discernible by our investigational facilities (chest x-ray, ultrasonography, computed to mographic scan, and flexible bronchofiberscopy). Underlying pneumonia (three patients), pulmonary tuberculosis (two patients), lung abscess (one patient), and congenital bullae (one patient) constituted the eti ology in another third of the spontaneous pneumothorax patients. Other underlying pulmonary diseases precipitating spontaneous pneumothorax in the group included pulmonary fibrosis, metastatic mesothelioma, and immunosuppression in a medulloblastoma patient undergoing chemotherap y with the development of chickenpox. Closed thoracostomy tube drainag e was the only method of treatment in 20 out of the 25 patients, with three failures of closed thoracostomy tube drainage needing thoracotom y and resection of blebs/bullae. The only complication was empyema in two of the patients. Two patients were successfully treated conservati vely with observation alone.