Abstract
Introduction: Spontaneous pneumothorax in children can occur at any age, but especially during the neonatal period and during adolescence. It is very rare but serious because it can engage vital prognosis.
Methods: This is a retrospective study from January 1995 to September 2019, collecting 30 patients hospitalized for spontaneous pneumothorax in the thoracic and cardiovascular surgery department of the Abderrahmen Mami hospital.
Results: The series includes 25 boys and 5 girls aged from 6 months to 15 years (average of 12 years). The pneumothorax was primary in 19 cases and secondary in the 11 cases: emhysema in 7 cases, histiocytosis in 2 cases, asthma in one case and Marfan syndrome in one case. It was unilateral in 28 cases and bilateral in the other 2 cases. The circumstances of discovery were dyspnea in 18 cases, chest pain in 11 cases while the discovery was fortuitous in 1 case. The diagnosis was made in all cases on the chest X-ray. The chest scanner was performed in 24 patients. Eight patients had thoracic drainage with favorable evolution. The gesture consisted of a pleurodesis in 8 cases and it was associated with an apical bullectomy in 13 cases. One patient had decortication. Two patients had pulmonary biopsy.
The postoperative follow-ups were simple in 28 cases. One patient was surgically revised.
Conclusion: Spontaneous pneumothorax is rare in childhood. Thoracic surgery ,most commonly by thoracoscopy, is indicated for persistent pneumothorax despite thoracic drainage. It is discussed in recurrent forms.
Footnotes
Cite this article as: European Respiratory Journal 2020; 56: Suppl. 64, 3113.
This abstract was presented at the 2020 ERS International Congress, in session “Respiratory viruses in the "pre COVID-19" era”.
This is an ERS International Congress abstract. No full-text version is available. Further material to accompany this abstract may be available at www.ers-education.org (ERS member access only).
- Copyright ©the authors 2020
