A modified two-port thoracoscopic technique versus axillary minithoracotomy for the treatment of recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax: a prospective randomized study.

Background: Currently, most thoracic surgeons perform surgical pleurodesis for recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax (RSP) by video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS). However, the superiority of VATS over axillary minithoracotomy is not been established in prospective studies to date. A modified two-port VATS technique and axillary minithoracotomy were prospectively evaluated for possible differences in the short- and long-term outcome for patients.