How big is the chance that a pneumothorax will happen again after you have received vats-surgery?

Less than 5% on side: There is a 50% chance of a recurrence after a spontaneous pneumothorax, without surgery. 60-70% for a second recurrence. That is why surgery is recommended. After surgery, the chance is less, but the other side is a concern.

It depends...: The recurrence rate for pneumothorax after VATS depends on a number of factors. Most importantly, the reason the PTX occurred, and also the presence of any underlying lung disease.

11/239 younger pts:: In a study by Chou et al, they found among patients who are less than 40 years of age: " VATS was initially performed on 239 patients with PSP in total. Eleven patients were found to have PORP during a follow-up period of 36.95 months. Nine patients received Re-VATS and only two patients receiving conservative treatment had no further recurrence. No conversion to thoracotomy, blood transfusion