To explore the risk factors and nursing intervention for pneumothorax in performing CT-guided radioactive ¹²⁵I seed implantation in patients with lung cancer.

40 patients with lung cancer who performed CT-guided radioactive ¹²⁵I seedimplantation from January 2014 to November 2015 were included in the study. The retrospective analysis was used and the participants were hospitalized either in Peking university third hospital or in Hebei Cangzhou hospital of integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine.

After the implantation, seven patients had implantation including five mild cases and two moderate cases. Six patients got better after the implantation (i.e. five of them had no obvious clinical symptoms and one of them had chest distress and cough) . One case had hemothorax combined with chest distress and cough, but got better after air extraction and closed thoracic drainage.

The risk factors for pneumothorax in performing CT-guided radioactive ¹²⁵I seed implantation may include the type and location of the lesion and the number of puncture times. The important factors for preventing the incidence of pneumothorax may include preoperative analysis of the type and location of lesions, reducing thepuncture times, less harm for pleural layers, and reasonable needlepoint. The major nursing strategies to prevent pneumothorax include preoperative evaluation and health education, cooperate with the doctors during the operation, and close observation of patients'postoperative symptoms.

Lung Neoplasms; Iodine radioisotopes; Pneumothorax; Nursing care