[Effectiveness of the treatment of spontaneous pneumothorax complicating tuberculosis and other lung diseases].

The paper deals with the data of the clinical follow up observation and treatment of 186 patients with various clinical forms of tuberculosis and nonspecific pulmonary diseases complicated by spontaneous pneumothorax (SP). Treatment was composed of etiotropic, antibacterial, general invigorating and symptomatic measures and correction of the protein and volemic disorders. Local treatment was started with puncture of the pleural cavity. Drainage was applied after 2-3 punctures failed to bring lung expansion. Other measures included persistent aspiration, regular washing of the pleural cavity and administration of antibiotics. Punctures resulted in cure of 8.5% and drainage of 43.1% of the patients. Ineffective drainage was considered as an indication to radical interventions. In the presence of lung inflammation or pleural empyema operations were performed when these conditions underwent regress or stabilization. Treatment effectiveness constituted 63.4%, improvement 17.1%, conditions without changes 5.4% and mortality 8.1% of the cases. In benign SP all patients were cured; in development of pneumothorax and pleural empyema treatment effectiveness was 63.9% and mortality 9.4%. SP cure in pulmonary tuberculosis was 56.7%, mortality 12.4%; in nonspecific pathology the values were 89.2 and 6.8%, respectively.