A collapsed lung (pneumothorax) is a condition that occurs when air enters the space between the chest wall and the lung (pleural space). It is usually an acute event with symptoms of chest pain and shortness of breath.

Treatment of pneumothorax depends on the underlying cause, the size of the pneumothorax and patients clinical condition.

In small pneumothorax with no symptoms, the lung may re-inflate on its own and further intervention is necessary. If the pneumothorax is large or the patient has trouble breathing, a small plastic tube (chest drain) may be inserted into the pleural space to remove the air and re-inflate the lung. If these methods are not effective or the lung collapses again, a surgical treatment with Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) or Robotic Asssisted with the Da Vinci Robot approach, may be indicated.

Through small incisions (‘keyhole approach’) we insert the fiber-optic camera and the necessary instruments into the chest cavity aiming to remove the responsible for the pneumothorax abnormal lung tissue and to perform pleurodesis in order to prevent future recurrence.