CT features associated with contralateral recurrence of spontaneous pneumothorax

Introduction: Spontaneous pneumothorax recurs in 30 to 54% of patients without surgery. Identifying individuals likely to suffer a recurrence, who might benefit from pre-emptive surgery, is challenging. Previous meta-analysis suggested a relationship between contralateral recurrence and specific computed tomography (CT) findings.

Methods: We analysed CT images and recurrence rates 243 patients seen by our tertiary referral pneumothorax service.

Results: We validated the meta-analysis observation that contralateral lung cysts are associated with a higher risk of contralateral recurrence in younger individuals. Furthermore, we observed the size of contralateral cysts to be associated with increased contralateral recurrence in younger patients.

Conclusion: The detection of contralateral lung cysts might therefore help identify younger patients more likely to benefit from pre-emptive surgery.