For which type of pneumothorax is pleurodesis most commonly indicated?

a. Iatrogenic
b. Bronchopleural fistula
c. Spontaneous
d. Traumatic

ANS: C
Patients who have had one pneumothorax are more likely than the general population to have a second. The recurrence rate is greater than 30% among patients with primary spontaneous pneu-mothorax and approximately 40% among patients with secondary spontaneous pneumothorax. These high recurrence rates indicate that prevention of recurrence of pneumothorax should be undertaken, particularly for patients in whom pneumothorax may be life threatening. Preventing recurrence involves production of adhesions between the parietal and the visceral pleura in the involved area and is termed pleurodesis.