ISSN : 1301-5680
e-ISSN : 2149-8156
Turkish Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery     
Management of primary spontaneous pneumothorax in children: Current practices among Turkish pediatric surgeons
Sefa Sag1, Levent Elemen1
1Department of Pediatric Surgery, University of Health Sciences, Sancaktepe Şehit Prof. Dr. Ilhan Varank Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Türkiye
DOI : 10.5606/tgkdc.dergisi.2023.23244
Background: This study aims to evaluate current practices in the management of primary spontaneous pneumothorax among Turkish pediatric surgeons.

Methods: Between October 2021 and November 2021, an online survey comprising 19 questions was delivered to all members of the Turkish Association of Pediatric Surgeons (TAPS). A total of 74 respondents (42 males, 32 females; mean age: 42.3±7.9 years; range, 29 to 61 years) were included.

Results: The response rate was 17.1% among all society members. The rate of utilization of computed tomography in the initial admission was 27.4%, and the rate of use in cases requiring surgical treatment was 78.4%. A total of 81% of surgeons reported that the size of the pneumothorax influenced management. For the first episode of primary spontaneous pneumothorax, 75.7% of surgeons opted for chest tube drainage, 14.9% for only oxygen administration, 4.1% for needle aspiration, and none of the surgeons preferred video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. For patients with a persistent air leak after chest tube placement, there was a wide variation in the duration of observation before performing surgery. Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery was the most preferred surgical intervention (75.3%) and the most preferred surgical method was stapled bullectomy (43.8%).

Conclusion: There are practice variations in the management of pediatric primary spontaneous pneumothorax among the society members. However, the majority of members seem to agree on the use of computed tomography, initial treatment, and surgical interventions.

Keywords : Chest tube, child, diagnostic imaging, pneumothorax, surgery
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