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May 25, 2012
 

Pneumothorax after Abdominal Keyhole Surgery

Dear Ask The Doctor: I had an bilateral (tep) inguinal hernia repair.and suffered complications. A pneumothorax. I asked how this occurred and was given lots of conflicting answers. Is this a rare complication using keyhole surgery. I have had no previous problems with my lungs.

Dear Mike: A pneumothorax following keyhole hernia surgery is a rare complication.  A pneumothorax is simply a collection of air in the chest cavity. This collection of air is outside the lungs and thus prevents the lungs from expanding adequately cannot be sure how it occurred in your specific case, however below is are two possible explanations:

  • A complication of anesthesia. During anesthesia oxygen is 'pumped' into the lungs. Occasionally, this pressure may be high enough to injure the lungs and cause a pneumothorax. This is more likely to occur in persons with certain lung diseases such as Emphysema, Chronic Obstructive Airway Disease and chronic smokers.

 

  • During keyhole surgery, air in pumped into the abdomen to create a better field of vision for the surgeon. If there is a hole in the diaphragm (the muscle which separates the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity) then air may 'escape' into the chest creating the pnuemothorax. This 'hole' is called a hiatal hernia and may be present from birth and go undiagnosed for many, many years.

I hope you find this information helpful.
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 22 February 2011 )
 

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