Can pneumothorax and bullous lungs heal on their own?

In daily life, many tall and thin men are prone to pneumothorax. This is because their lungs are too weak. They should regularly participate in physical exercise in daily life, which can greatly relieve lung function and reduce the frequency of pneumothorax. If pneumothorax is accompanied by bullae, it will be even more troublesome. So, can pneumothorax and bullous lungs heal on their own?

1. What is the preferred treatment for spontaneous pneumothorax and bullae?

Traditional methods for treating spontaneous pneumothorax include thoracentesis and closed chest drainage, but the principles of these two methods are only to promote the discharge of gas in the chest cavity and relieve symptoms. They do not solve the cause of pneumothorax - bullae, so they cannot reduce the chance of recurrence of pneumothorax.

Thoracoscopic bulla suture or resection is the preferred method for the treatment of spontaneous pneumothorax. We started using thoracoscopic surgery to treat bullae and spontaneous pneumothorax in 1995, and by 2006, the total number of cases had exceeded 1,000. We also use an original suture method, which greatly reduces the cost of surgery while maintaining the same therapeutic effect compared to other methods.

Second, the advantages of thoracoscopic treatment:

1. Small trauma, less pain, 1-3 incisions, located in the armpit, each incision is only 2 cm, and the scar is small;

2. The patient recovers quickly after surgery. Generally, the patient can walk on the second day after surgery, and the tube can be removed 3-4 days after surgery.

3. The therapeutic effect is definite and the possibility of recurrence of pneumothorax after surgery is low.

3. Which patients with spontaneous pneumothorax are suitable for thoracoscopic treatment?

1. Spontaneous pneumothorax, recurrent episodes; or continued air leakage after closed chest drainage;

2. Young patients with spontaneous pneumothorax, especially students, should also undergo surgery for the first pneumothorax due to their academic advancement, sports activities, etc., which can reduce the psychological burden;

3. People in remote areas, high-altitude operations, fishermen, drivers and other special occupations,

Because once an attack occurs, the risk is high, so the first attack of pneumothorax should also be treated with surgery;

4. For patients with bilateral bullae, if pneumothorax occurs on both sides at the same time, it may be life-threatening and surgery should be performed. It can be performed at the same time or in stages.

5. Giant bullae can compress the surrounding normal lung tissue and greatly affect lung function even if pneumothorax does not occur. Therefore, surgery should be performed as soon as possible.