Spontaneous Pneumothorax

CURRENTLY there are several opinions on the etiology of spontaneous pneumothorax and its proper therapy. The present study was undertaken to compare the experiences of a private practice (A.J.K.) and those of the Denver Veterans Administration Hospital and the University of Colorado Hospital. Results One hundred patients with a spontaneous pneumothorax were reviewed. The average age was 40.8 years; 86% were men. On admission 55% of the patients had a left-sided pneumothorax, 40% had a right-sided pneumothorax, and 5% had a bilateral pneumothorax. The number of prior episodes of spontaneous pneumothorax and the major associated diseases that were present on admission are presented in Table 1. If the pneumothorax could be definitely ascribed to a specific cause, it was categorized; otherwise the etiology was considered unknown, and these results are tabulated in Table 2. The major presenting symptoms and the duration of these symptoms are shown in Tables 3 and