# Intraoperative mechanical ventilation and incidence of pneumothorax in lymphangioleiomyomatosis

## TL;DR

This study examines if mechanical ventilation during surgery increases pneumothorax risk in lymphangioleiomyomatosis patients.

## Contribution

The study identifies risk factors for postoperative pneumothorax in LAM patients, finding no significant role of mechanical ventilation.

## Key findings

- 33.3% of LAM patients experienced postoperative pneumothorax.
- Higher CT grade and poor pulmonary function are linked to increased PTX risk.
- Intraoperative mechanical ventilation did not significantly affect PTX occurrence.

## Abstract

Patients with lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) are considered high risk for most surgeries and require specific anesthetic considerations mainly because of the common spontaneous pneumothorax (PTX). To explore whether intraoperative mechanical ventilation could increase the risk of PTX in those patients, we included 12 surgical patients with LAM in this study, of whom four (33.3%) experienced postoperative PTX. According to our results, patients with higher CT grade, poorer pulmonary function, and a history of preoperative PTX might be more likely to develop postoperative PTX. However, intraoperative mechanical ventilation did not show obvious influence, which might help clinicians reconsider the perioperative management of LAM patients.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13023-024-03117-w.