The shoulder complex has the greatest mobility of all joints. On one hand, this mobility is because of little bony congruity of its articulating surfaces. The joints of the shoulder complex have to rely on adjacent ligaments and muscles to provide stability. Consequently, they are susceptible to injury and degeneration. On the other hand, the shoulder complex is composed of the scapulothoracic ...

In recent years many authors have advocated prompt active treatment for spontaneous pneumothorax in the belief that patients treated in this way recover more quickly and suffer fewer relapses (Lenox-Smith, 1962; Smith and Rothwell, 1962; Hamel, Briggs, and Schulkins, 1963). The material on which this attitude is based is very often related to hospital admissions only and does not reflect the ov...