State of the Art in Medical and Surgical Management of Pneumothorax

Background: Pneumothorax occurs when air enters the pleural cavity. Pneumothorax can be generally sub-divided into spontaneous and non-spontaneous subtypes. The most common examples of non-spontaneous pneumothorax include iatrogenic and traumatic. Methods: Current studies provide good evidence of epidemiology of this condition. Similarly, there have been improvements in our understanding of underlying mechanisms of spontaneous pneumothorax. In the recent years new approaches to manage patients with pneumothorax have been proposed. These were led by development of new devices as well as better evidence from clinical studies on how to manage pneumothorax. Conclusions: In this review we will discuss recent developments in our understanding in relation to in epidemiology, pathophysiology as well as management of pneumothorax.