Abstract A best evidence topic in cardiothoracic surgery was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was whether treatment with hormones or pleural symphysis is better than operative procedures such as diaphragmatic repair with mesh to surgically manage recurrent pneumothoraces in patients with catamenial pneumothorax. Diaphragmatic repair with synthetic meshes, hormonal treatment and pleural symphysis are all accepted interventions for the treatment of recurrent catamenial pneumothoraces; however, there is uncertainty over the best combination of treatment. Altogether, 396 papers were found using the reported search, of which 13 represented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. However, it should be noted that the studies included were small in terms of sample size, and have demonstrated significant bias and surgical heterogeneity. Our literature review found that the recurrence rates of pneumothorax were greatly reduced in the treatment group where surgery and hormone therapy were combined (pooled average recurrence rate of 0%); however, the recurrence rates were significantly higher when these interventions were used alone: hormone therapy alone (58.5%), diaphragmatic repair alone (33.3%) and surgery alone (63.3%). Our results therefore demonstrate that a multimodality approach is required to reduce pneumothorax recurrence rates in patients with catamenial pneumothorax.