ObjectiveTo evaluate the efficacy, safety, and long-term recurrence rate of thoracoscopic bullae resection combined with parietal pleurectomy or pleural abrasion for the treatment of spontaneous pneumothorax. MethodsRelevant literatures were searched in PubMed, Web of Science, EMbase, The Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang and VIP databases from the establishment of each database to February 1, 2025. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, the literatures were screened. Meta-analysis was conducted using Review Manager 5.3 software, and the quality of the literatures was evaluated using the Cochrane Bias Risk Assessment Tool and the NOS scale. ResultsA total of 23 articles were included, including 6 randomized controlled studies and 17 retrospective cohort studies, with NOS scores≥7. A total of 3 296 patients were enrolled, including 1 245 in the parietal pleurectomy group and 2 051 in the pleural abrasion group. The meta-analysis results showed that the pleural abrasion group had shorter operation time [MD=19.68, 95%CI (14.12-25.25)], less intraoperative blood loss [MD=11.31, 95%CI (4.20-18.41)], lower postoperative pain score [MD=0.48, 95%CI (0.04-0.91)], lower total postoperative drainage volume [MD=44.31, 95%CI (11.92-76.71)], shorter postoperative drainage time [MD=0.32, 95%CI (0.03-0.60)], and shorter hospital stay [MD=0.40, 95%CI (0.23-0.57)] compared with the parietal pleurectomy group, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). In terms of safety, the parietal pleurectomy group increased the incidence of postoperative pulmonary hemorrhage [OR=3.99, 95%CI (1.49-10.65), P<0.05], but there were no statistically significant differences in the incidence of postoperative atelectasis, pneumothorax leakage and pulmonary infection (P>0.05). In addition, the parietal pleurectomy group could effectively reduce the long-term recurrence rate of patients [OR=0.48, 95%CI (0.36-0.64)], and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). ConclusionDecortication inevitably imposes a greater perioperative burden on patients with spontaneous pneumothorax and pulmonary bullae, yet it effectively reduces the risk of postoperative recurrence. While both surgical approaches exhibit similar safety profiles, parietal pleurectomy may elevate the risk of postoperative pulmonary hemorrhage. Therefore, the optimal treatment strategy should be determined based on individual patient characteristics.