Can spontaneous pneumothorax occur after pleurodesis?

Yes, occasionally: Although pleurodesis can reduce the chances of a life threatening pneumothorax, depending on how well the lung adheres to the chest wall after pleurodesis you can still get spontaneous pneumothoraces.

Unfortunately yes: There are different techniques to treat spontaneous pneumothorax (sp). On average, a vats pleuradesis that uses talc application has over 90-95% success rate in primary sp. This means, even after aggressive surgical and chemical pleuradesis, there may be up to 10% of individuals that suffer recurrence.

Yes possible: After pleurodesois, plural space will be obliterated as lung get attached to chest wall , in some areas of lung may not get attached, a bleb can rupture and may cause a limited pneumothorax, ( leak of lung) rarely needs intervention.

YES: The most effective means of pleuradesis occurs when medical grade talc is surgically applied. The success rate is estimated between 90-95%. Thus, individuals can see up to 15% recurrence. The other issue is that, patients may be at risk for pneumothorax in the opposite side. It is important to have thorough evaluation and discussion with a thoracic surgeon.