Short-wave therapy for spontaneous pneumothorax: A case report

A patient with spontaneous pneumothorax of 40% was treated by short-wave diathermy without chest drainage. A 5-day course of therapy achieved a satisfactory outcome, with the mean rate of air absorption being about 8% per day. We reviewed previous studies and found that short-wave and ultrashort-wave therapy could be feasible treatment options for minimal pneumothorax and residual pneumothorax after aspiration. Our study provides a case for further clinical application of short-wave therapy. We recommend further large-scale, randomized controlled studies to evaluate the effects of this mode of treatment. Bioelectromagnetics. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.