Surgical treatment of chronic tuberculous empyema of the pleura

Three hundred thirty - three patients with chronic tuberculous empyema of the pleura were treated in the hospital under medical observation. Of these, 325 (97.6%) men and 8 (2.4%) women (age ranged from 18 to 87 years). Two hundred twenty - three patients were operated on. The most frequent radical surgery was reconstructive surgery - pleurectomy, lung decortication, including with lung resection and thoracoplasty in 176 (78.9%) patients. Good results were obtained in 97.7% of cases, satisfactory in 2.3% of cases. Radical surgical interventions were contraindicated in 88 (26.4%) patients because of the extreme risk (elderly and senile age, a marked decrease in the functional parameters of the heart, lungs, liver, concomitant pathology). Satisfactory treatment outcomes for such patients provided closed drainage of the pleural cavity to reduce intoxication, the disappearance or decrease of cough and excessive sputum production, specific chemotherapy.

chronic tuberculous pleural empyema, pleurectomy, lung decortication, pleural cavity drainage