How to treat recurrent pneumothorax for the second time?
Patients with recurrent pneumothorax, we recommend proactive minimally invasive surgical intervention. For patients experiencing their first recurrence of pneumothorax, the likelihood of a second recurrence is about 20-30%. For those who have had two episodes of pneumothorax, it indicates the presence of a small rupture on the lung, or an area that has not healed well, or is particularly weak. Thus, for patients who have had two episodes or a second occurrence of pneumothorax, if they do not receive active treatment, the probability of a third recurrence rises to about 70-80%. Whether using minimally invasive surgery or the conservative method of simple tube insertion, both are certainly burdensome for the patient. However, for patients with a second occurrence of pneumothorax, undergoing a small minimally invasive surgery, which involves a small incision of one to two centimeters under the armpit to treat the pneumothorax, dramatically reduces the likelihood of subsequent occurrences from the previous 70-80% to below 10%. Therefore, the best treatment for a second pneumothorax episode is through minimally invasive surgical intervention.