Objective To explore clinical efficacy and independent risk factors related to the recurrence of primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). Method We retrospectively anal- yzed the clinical data of 566 PSP patients by VATS in our hospital between December 2011 and June 2014 year. The patients were divided into a triple-port group(110 patients with 88 males and 22 females, aged 31.34±15.62 years) and a double-port group (456 patients with 383 males and 73 females, aged 31.46±15.65 years) by operation methods. We tried to find out the independent risk factors related to the recurrence. Results There was no statistical difference in intraoperative blood loss, postoperative drainage, drain removal, postoperative complications, postoperative length of hospital stay and rate of postoperative recurrence between the two groups (P>0.05) . However, the operation time (P<0.001) and the drainage of postoperative 48 hours (P<0.05) in the double-port group was shorter or less than that in the triple-port group. The overall recurrence rate was 1.41% (8/566) . The minors (OR=14.75, P=0.045) , no bulla type (OR=32.76, P=0.019) , and multiple bulla type (OR=15.48, P=0.013) were the independent risk factors for postoperative recurrence. Conclusions The double- port VATS technique has similar effect with triple-port VATS technique on spontaneous pneumothorax patients under- gone pulmonary bullae ligation and pleurodesis. Bulla ligation and whole mechanical pleurodesis can get better clinical efficacy and lower rate of recurrence. The minor, no bulla type, and multiple bulla type are the independent recurrence risk factors of PSP after surgery.