BACKGROUND: Spontaneous @entity2004 , a life-threatening and @entity395 and complication of @entity5229 , is regarded as a surgical emergency. We have prospectively investigated the differences in safety and utility between minithoracotomy with simultaneous video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (MT + VATS) and the video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery approach (VATS) in the treatment of spontaneous @entity2004 . METHODS: From Jan 1998 to May 2002, 248 @entity1 with @entity5229 were treated in our hospital. Among these @entity1 , 12 (4.8 %) spontaneous @entity2004 occurred, all in the first episode of @entity5229 . After tube thoracostomy, the amount of blood drainage ranged from 500 to 1,500 ml. 8 @entity1 were treated by MT + VATS and 4 by VATS. RESULTS: During surgery, the sources of @entity548 were all from the torn aberrant vessels between the apical @entity4530 and the parietal pleura. The duration of main surgical procedure (including removal of @entity4461 in @entity1143 , control of bleeding and blebectomy) was significantly shorter in MT + VATS than in VATS (p < 0.01, Mann-Whitney U). There were no differences between these two groups in postoperative chest tube drainage duration, average postoperative @entity158 score or hospital stay. No relapses occurred in the succeeding 6 months to 4 years. CONCLUSIONS: Spontaneous @entity2004 is usually treated as an urgent surgical condition. MT + VATS is an easy accessible and safe procedure that could be applied as an initial treatment method in the @entity1 with spontaneous @entity2004 , especially in the treatment of the @entity1 with active @entity548 and massive @entity4461 in the thorax.

Minithoracotomy with simultaneous video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery vs. video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for spontaneous XXXX .

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients', 'patient'] @entity395 :: ('MESH:D035583', 'Disease') :: ['rare disorder'] @entity1143 :: ('MESH:D010996', 'Disease') :: ['pleural cavity'] @entity5229 :: ('MESH:D011030', 'Disease') :: ['spontaneous pneumothorax', 'primary spontaneous pneumothorax'] @entity548 :: ('MESH:D006470', 'Disease') :: ['hemorrhage'] @entity4530 :: ('MESH:D001768', 'Disease') :: ['blebs'] @entity4461 :: ('MESH:D020141', 'Disease') :: ['blood clot'] @entity158 :: ('MESH:D010146', 'Disease') :: ['pain'] @entity2004 :: ('MESH:D006468', 'Disease') :: ['hemopneumothorax']
@entity2004 :: (MESH:D006468,Disease) :: ['hemopneumothorax']
