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Thoracoplasty.

Langston and Sampson point out that the sine qua non of empyema management is early, adequate, and dependent drainage. Diagnostic thoracentesis followed by closed tube thoracostomy and conversion to open drainage, either by a large-bore tube or a rib-resection with a pleurocutaneous fistula, are initial procedures that may be continued for an extended period to control infection, obliterate loculations, and heal co-apted pleural surfaces secondarily. Clagett and Geraci have noted that postpneumonectomy empyema spaces can be "sterilized" and the initial drainage site can be closed after antibiotic instillation. Miller, however, reports success rates for this procedure only in the range of 25% to 33%. Our results are somewhat higher. Obliteration of the persistent space after control of infection by drainage can be accomplished by interposition of muscle flaps with closure of any bronchopleural fistulas and/or by thoracoplasty. As stated previously, myoplastic techniques to obliterate empyemas and close bronchial fistulas in tuberculous disease have a success rate of approximately 75%. Such techniques, however, not only assist in limiting the extent of thoracoplasty, but also may avoid the procedure entirely in some cases. Virkkula has emphasized that use of pedicled myoplasty does not necessarily obviate the need for thoracoplasty. Pairolero and colleagues reported that the use of selected thoracoplasty combined with muscle transposition afforded a 73% success rate for postpneumonectomy empyema and a 64% success rate for closure of persistent bronchopleural fistulas and precludes protracted drainage and/or extended thoracoplasty. Young and Ungerleider concluded that (1) thoracoplasty is more successful if it is applied for patients with parapneumonic rather than postresectional empyemas; (2) concomitant tailoring thoracoplasty has a higher rate of failure; (3) preliminary drainage followed by thoracoplasty has a higher success rate in eliminating the empyema than thoracoplasty alone; (4) first rib resection is indicated for apical collapse only; (5) preoperative preparation is important to control and manage underlying suppurative processes; and (6) thoracoplasty of any type should not be used as a desperation modality of therapy in which uncontrolled sepsis and inadequate drainage are present or in which cancer or unidentified sites of hemorrhage exist. Sequential management of the residual infected space can proceed along several pathways. Many patients with empyema are well-controlled with simple open drainage and with underlying lung reexpansion, either spontaneously or in association with decortication, and may never need thoracoplasty. Drainage and thoracoplasty alone may be effective not only in obliterating an empyema space but also in sealing a bronchopleural fistula.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Empyema, Pleural↗

Lung cancer in patients who had received thoracoplasty for pulmonary tuberculosis.

BACKGROUND: In Japan in the 1950s, thoracoplasty was a powerful therapy for pulmonary tuberculosis. Now there are many aged people who have tuberculosis sequelae caused by thoracoplasty. We have encountered some cases of lung cancer among these people. METHODS: To elucidate the features of lung cancer occurring after thoracoplasty for pulmonary tuberculosis, we reviewed for analysis 20 such cases. RESULTS: There were 17 men and three women, aged 55 to 78 years (mean 65 years). All had respiratory dysfunction and most were cigarette smokers. Lung cancers were located in the upper lobes in nine cases, in the middle lobe in one and in the lower lobes in 10. Ten lung cancers were in the thoracoplastied lung and the remaining 10 in the opposite lung. Histologically, squamous cell carcinoma was predominant (11 cases). Eight lung cancers were detected in stages I and II and 12 in stages III and IV. Most cancer lesions were separate from tuberculosis lesions. Surgical resection was selected in only three of 11 stages I-IIIA cases in consideration of respiratory dysfunction and/or ventilatory impairment due to thoracoplasty. Chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy were performed in nine and supportive care alone was performed in eight. Fourteen patients died of lung cancer and four died of cor pulmonale due to tuberculosis sequelae. Five-year survival was achieved in only one surgical case. Eight of the nine patients who received chemotherapy or radiotherapy died within 1 year, and, further, seven of eight patients who received supportive care died within 6 months. CONCLUSION: Lung cancer in the patients who had received thoracoplasty occurred in each lung and every lobe, independent of thoracoplasty. In addition, delay of detection was such that stage III-IV cases were in the majority, there were some limitations in therapeutic benefits related to thoracoplasty and the prognosis was very poor. Physicians should avoid delay in the detection of lung cancer through careful follow-up of such patients.

Aged↗

Thoracoplasty for the treatment of rib prominence in thoracic scoliosis.

OBJECTIVES: The authors evaluated the reduction of rib prominence in patients who underwent thoracoplasty versus matched control patients who underwent fusion without thoracoplasty. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Correction in rib prominence with thoracoplasty is not well quantified in the literature. The role of rib bone graft as an alternative to iliac crest is unknown. METHODS: Fifty patients who underwent thoracoplasty were reviewed and compared with 26 patients who underwent fusion without thoracoplasty. Rib prominence, clinical data, and patient outcome were evaluated. RESULTS: The mean reduction in rib prominence was 71% in the thoracoplasty group and 17% in the control group. There was no difference in estimated blood loss, operative time, and length of hospitalization. Satisfaction with thoracoplasty was high. CONCLUSIONS: Thoracoplasty is more effective than fusion alone for reduction of rib prominence in thoracic scoliosis; it provides ample, effective bone graft for fusion.

Adult↗

Resting energy expenditure and nutritional state of patients with increased oxygen cost of breathing due to emphysema, scoliosis and thoracoplasty.

BACKGROUND: Weight loss is a well recognised feature of patients with emphysematous chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It has been suggested that this weight loss could be due to a hypermetabolic state resulting from the increased oxygen cost of breathing (OCB). To clarify the relation between resting energy expenditure (REE), nutritional state, and OCB these indices were measured in patients with respiratory impairment and an increased OCB due to COPD, scoliosis, and thoracoplasty. METHODS: Eighteen patients (six COPD, six scoliosis, six thoracoplasty) of mean (SD) age 59.9 (8.6) years (8M, 10F) and six controls (45.5 (9.9) years; 2M, 4F) were studied. OCB was estimated by the addition of dead space to the breathing circuit and REE was measured by indirect calorimetry using a ventilated canopy system. Height, arm span, weight, triceps skin fold thickness (TSF), mid-arm muscle circumference (MAMC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), and vital capacity (VC) were measured in all study subjects. RESULTS: OCB was elevated in all patient groups (mean 7.0 ml/l) compared with controls (1.9 ml/l). All patients with COPD, four with scoliosis, three with thoracoplasty, and none of the controls were < 90% ideal body weight. Mean (SD) measured REE as % predicted (Harris-Benedict equation) was 103.8 (7.6) in patients with COPD, 105.5 (10.9) in those with scoliosis, 106.3 (6.9) in the thoracoplasty patients, and 103.3 (3.4) in controls. One patient with COPD, two with scoliosis, two with thoracoplasty, but no controls were hypermetabolic (REE > 110% predicted). In all groups there was a negative relation between OCB and lung function (OCB v FEV1 r = -0.83 in COPD, -0.62 in scoliosis, -0.67 in thoracoplasty, and -0.76 in controls). There was no correlation between REE and OCB or MAMC. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with respiratory disease OCB (augmented ventilation) is related to lung function but not to REE. This is evidence against the hypothesis that hypermetabolism due to increased oxygen cost of breathing at rest is the sole or major cause of malnutrition in patients with lung disease.

Aged↗

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). Endoscopic thoracoplasty technique.

STUDY DESIGN: The study of two patients whose rib deformity was treated using a new endoscopic thoracoplasty technique is reported. OBJECTIVES: To report a new endoscopic thoracoplasty technique for the treatment of rib deformities associated with idiopathic scoliosis. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Thoracoplasty has traditionally been performed as an open procedure, often necessitating additional incisions and/or tissue dissection. METHODS: Two children with significant rib humps associated with idiopathic scoliosis were treated with a new endoscopic thoracoplasty technique. RESULTS: Both children showed dramatic cosmetic improvement of their rib deformity. CONCLUSIONS: The indications for the use of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery in the treatment of pediatric spinal deformity are expanding. We have extended our video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery repertoire to include endoscopic thoracoplasty for treatment of rib deformities associated with idiopathic scoliosis. The technique for endoscopic thoracoplasty is discussed, and illustrative cases are presented.

Adolescent↗

The modern use of thoracoplasty.

Thoracoplasty is a time-honored but, at present, rarely indicated procedure for reducing thoracic cavity volume. This study reviews a series of 30 patients treated with thoracoplasty over a 14-year period (1970 through 1983). Indications were to close a persistent pleural space in 28 patients and to tailor the thoracic cavity to accept diminished lung volume concomitant with a pulmonary resection in 2 patients. Persistent pleural space, often associated with a bronchopleural fistula (24 patients), occurred after operation in 19 patients: following pulmonary resection in 17 patients, resection of mesothelioma in 1 patient, and following decortication without resection in 1. In the remaining 9 patients with a persistent pleural space, problems developed from primary lung destruction due to tuberculosis (4 patients), postpneumonic empyema (1 patient), or as late infection of a residual pleural space many years after therapeutic pneumothorax and collapse therapy for tuberculosis (4 patients). The overall success rate of thoracoplasty in eliminating intrathoracic space problems was 73%. There were 3 deaths (10%) and 5 failures to heal, representing a 33% failure in the first half of the series (to 1976) and a 17% failure rate thereafter (1 death and 1 nonhealing patient). The primary underlying disease was tuberculosis in 23 patients, 8 of whom had concomitant aspergilloma and 1, atypical tuberculosis. The failures were analyzed and reviewed to clarify the principles for the successful use of thoracoplasty. It is concluded that thoracoplasty is a rarely required salvage-type procedure applicable to moderately debilitated patients in whom it is considered desirable to eliminate open drainage.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

Total respiratory system compliance after thoracoplasty.

Recent attention has been directed towards the deleterious effects of the sequelae of pulmonary tuberculosis on respiratory function. Thus, a study was undertaken to find out to what extent the deformity of thorax after thoracoplasty increases the mechanical work of breathing. Compliance of the total respiratory system (Crs) was measured with a pressure-type body plethysmograph in nine post-thoracoplasty tuberculosis patients, 15 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and three patients with pleural diseases. Mean Crs in nine post-thoracoplasty tuberculosis patients was 0.0861 cmH2O-1, and that in six patients with moderately advanced pulmonary tuberculosis was 0.0841 cmH2O-1. Mean Crs (0.1301 cmH2O-1) in nine patients with a minimum lesion of tuberculosis was not different from the reference Crs values reported to date by several authors. Crs was significantly correlated with vital capacity, but not with functional residual capacity. There was no difference in specific Crs between post-thoracoplasty tuberculosis patients and patients with moderately advanced pulmonary tuberculosis. Crs of patients with a pleural disease was smaller than Crs of patients with a minimal lesion of pulmonary tuberculosis. The deformity of thorax after thoracoplasty caused a decrease of Crs. However, ventilation is not as severely impaired as anticipated from the degree of thorax deformity on chest X-ray film, providing that movement of the diaphragm is unrestricted.

Adult↗

[Osteoplastic thoracoplasty with concomitant pulmonectomy in the surgery of generalized destructive pulmonary tuberculosis].

The paper analyzes the results of surgical treatment in 155 patients with generalized destructive pulmonary tuberculosis who underwent pulmonectomy concomitantly with different types of thoracoplasties in 1986 to 1999. According to the type of thoracoplasty, all the patients were divided in 3 groups: 1) 38 patients undergone pulmonectomy with concomitant osteoplastic thoracoplasty; 2) 41 patients had pulmonectomy with concomitant extrapleural thoracoplasty; and 3) 76 had pulmonectomy with concomitant intrapleural thoracoplasty. On discharge, the full clinical effect was achieved in 92.2% of the patients from Group 1 with their mortality rates of 2.6, whereas in the control groups (Groups 2 and 3), the efficiency of treatment was less and the mortality rates were higher (82.9 and 4.9% in Group 2 and 76.3% and 3.9% in Group 3, respectively). Long-term results in 132 patients were followed up for 2-15 years. Clinical recovery was stated in 91.2, 77.8, and 83.3% in Groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively.

Adolescent↗

[The current role of thoracoplasty in treatment of chronic pleural empyema].

To demonstrate the indication for surgery, the preoperative and postoperative course, and to assess the influence of thoracoplasty on respiratory physiology, the data of patients subjected to thoracoplasty during the past 30 years at our hospital were evaluated. Final assessment was performed separately for patients with and without preceding pulmonary resection. In 21 cases there was an unspecific empyema of the pleura and in 6 cases a specific one; in 14 cases there was also a concomitant bronchopleural fistula. After a washing-out period of 92 days (24-283) and after surgery had been unsuccessful in 9 patients, standard thoracoplasty was performed, complemented by a "jalousie" ("Venetian blind") plasty after Heller. Postoperative lethality was 11.1%. 5 patients developed pleuro-cutaneous fistulas that healed by local treatment; in one patient, a small residual cavity remained that required an additional plasty for correction. In 94% of the patients who had been operated upon, scoliosis occurred convex to the thoracoplasty; this was more marked in patients in whom lung resection had been performed than in patients without resection. Restrictive ventilatory disorders were seen in the lung function of 55% of the patients, whereas mixed restrictive-obstructive disorders occurred in 45%. Ergospirometry resulted under load besides in an increased respiratory minute volume (AMV), in a proportionate dead space of the AMV which was significantly higher than preoperatively. Despite the considerable functional and aesthetic consequences resulting therefrom, thoracoplasty still has its justification in refractory pleura empyemas as an ultimate means of cleaning up.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Long term non-invasive domiciliary assisted ventilation for respiratory failure following thoracoplasty.

BACKGROUND: Ventilatory failure is a well recognised complication of patients who have had a thoracoplasty for tuberculosis, but there are few data regarding the value of long term non-invasive assisted ventilation in this situation. METHODS: Thirty two patients who had had a thoracoplasty 20-46 years previously and who had developed respiratory failure were treated with nocturnal cuirass assisted ventilation or nasal positive pressure ventilation. Their survival and changes in arterial blood gases, nocturnal oximetry, and pulmonary function tests were assessed. RESULTS: The actuarial survival rates at one, three, five, and seven years after starting treatment were 91%, 74%, 64%, and 55%, respectively. Only seven of the 13 deaths were directly attributable to chronic respiratory or cardiac failure. The arterial PO2, PCO2, mean nocturnal oxygen saturation, vital capacity, and maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressures had all improved at the time of the initial post-treatment assessment (mean 12 days after starting treatment), but no subsequent improvements were seen after up to 48 months of follow up. Neither survival nor physiological improvements were correlated with the patients' age, the interval since thoracoplasty, or the pretreatment arterial blood gas tensions or results of pulmonary function tests. CONCLUSIONS: These results show that, even when ventilatory failure has developed, the prognosis with non-invasive assisted ventilation is good and the physiological abnormalities can be partially reversed. Patients who develop respiratory failure after a thoracoplasty should be considered for this type of long term domiciliary treatment.

Adult↗

Growth of the thoracic spine in congenital scoliosis after expansion thoracoplasty.

BACKGROUND: Children with congenital thoracic scoliosis associated with fused ribs with a unilateral unsegmented bar adjacent to convex hemivertebrae will invariably have curve progression without treatment. Surgery has been thought to have a negligible growth-inhibition effect on the thoracic spine in such patients because it has been assumed that the concave side of the curve and the unilateral unsegmented bar do not grow, but we are unaware of any conclusive studies regarding this assumption. METHODS: The changes in the length of the concave and convex sides, anterior and posterior vertebral edges, posterior arch, and unilateral unsegmented bars of the thoracic spine were measured in the twenty-one children with congenital scoliosis and fused ribs after expansion thoracoplasty had been carried out with use of a vertical, expandable titanium prosthetic rib. Three of these children had undergone posterior spinal fusion previously. Measurements were made with use of a three-dimensional software program that analyzed baseline and follow-up computed tomography scans. The technique was validated through measurement of the thorax of a small female adult cadaver. RESULTS: The patients without spine fusion had an average age of 3.3 years at the time of the baseline computed tomography scan, and the average duration of follow-up was 4.2 years. On the average, these patients showed significant growth (p < 0.0001) of the concave side of the thoracic spine (an increase in length of 7.9 mm/yr, or 7.1%/yr) and the convex side (8.3 mm/yr, or 6.4%/yr) compared with the baseline lengths. There was no significant difference in the increases in length (p = 0.38) between the concave and convex sides. Eleven patients with an unsegmented bar had an average 7.3% increase in the length of the bar (p < 0.0001). In the three children with prior spinal fusion, the increase in length averaged only 4.6 mm/yr (3%/yr) on the concave side of the thoracic spine and 3.7 mm/yr (2.2%/yr) on the convex side; both increases were significant (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Longitudinal growth of the thoracic spine in a normal child has been estimated to be 0.6 cm/yr between the ages of five and nine years. After expansion thoracoplasty, growth of the thoracic spine was approximately 8 mm/yr in our series of children with congenital scoliosis and fused ribs. After expansion thoracoplasty, both the concave and the convex side of the thoracic spine and unilateral unsegmented bars appeared to grow in these patients. When a thorax is already foreshortened by congenital scoliosis, control of spine deformity with expansion thoracoplasty allows growth of the thoracic spine, and it is likely that the longer thorax provides additional volume for growth of the underlying lungs with probable clinical benefit. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic study, Level IV (case series [no, or historical, control group]). See Instructions to Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Child↗

Upper lobe lobectomy and concomitant thoracoplasty in pulmonary tuberculosis. A preliminary report.

In this, a preliminary report, the advantages and disadvantages of upper lobe lobectomy and concomitant thoracoplasty in tuberculosis have been summarized. There has been no undue increase in the operative hazard, there have been no complications, and the immediate results have been entirely satisfactory.Twenty-six patients were subjected to a combined operation (17 upper lobectomy-thoracoplasty and nine pneumonectomy-thoracoplasty) with one postoperative death. Indications for primary lobectomy have been discussed. The technique of resection and concomitant thoracoplasty has been briefly described.

Female↗

Expansion thoracoplasty: the surgical technique of opening-wedge thoracostomy. Surgical technique.

BACKGROUND: Children with congenital thoracic scoliosis associated with fused ribs with a unilateral unsegmented bar adjacent to convex hemivertebrae will invariably have curve progression without treatment. Surgery has been thought to have a negligible growth-inhibition effect on the thoracic spine in such patients because it has been assumed that the concave side of the curve and the unilateral unsegmented bar do not grow, but we are unaware of any conclusive studies regarding this assumption. METHODS: The changes in the length of the concave and convex sides, anterior and posterior vertebral edges, posterior arch, and unilateral unsegmented bars of the thoracic spine were measured in the twenty-one children with congenital scoliosis and fused ribs after expansion thoracoplasty had been carried out with use of a vertical, expandable titanium prosthetic rib. Three of these children had undergone posterior spinal fusion previously. Measurements were made with use of a three-dimensional software program that analyzed baseline and follow-up computed tomography scans. The technique was validated through measurement of the thorax of a small female adult cadaver. RESULTS: The patients without spine fusion had an average age of 3.3 years at the time of the baseline computed tomography scan, and the average duration of follow-up was 4.2 years. On the average, these patients showed significant growth (p < 0.0001) of the concave side of the thoracic spine (an increase in length of 7.9 mm/yr, or 7.1%/yr) and the convex side (8.3 mm/yr, or 6.4%/yr) compared with the baseline lengths. There was no significant difference in the increases in length (p = 0.38) between the concave and convex sides. Eleven patients with an unsegmented bar had an average 7.3% increase in the length of the bar (p < 0.0001). In the three children with prior spinal fusion, the increase in length averaged only 4.6 mm/yr (3%/yr) on the concave side of the thoracic spine and 3.7 mm/yr (2.2%/yr) on the convex side; both increases were significant (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Longitudinal growth of the thoracic spine in a normal child has been estimated to be 0.6 cm/yr between the ages of five and nine years. After expansion thoracoplasty, growth of the thoracic spine was approximately 8 mm/yr in our series of children with congenital scoliosis and fused ribs. After expansion thoracoplasty, both the concave and the convex side of the thoracic spine and unilateral unsegmented bars appeared to grow in these patients. When a thorax is already foreshortened by congenital scoliosis, control of spine deformity with expansion thoracoplasty allows growth of the thoracic spine, and it is likely that the longer thorax provides additional volume for growth of the underlying lungs with probable clinical benefit.

Child↗

Analysis of pulmonary function and chest cage dimension changes after thoracoplasty in idiopathic scoliosis.

STUDY DESIGN: A prospective study of 19 adolescents and seven adults with idiopathic scoliosis undergoing posterior spinal fusion with segmental spinal instrumentation and a concomitant thoracoplasty had pulmonary function evaluation before surgery and at selected time points up to a minimum 2 years after surgery. OBJECTIVES: The objectives were to determine the effects thoracoplasty had on pulmonary function and chest cage dimension changes at a minimum 2-year follow-up in idiopathic scoliosis patients. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: The cosmetic benefits of thoracoplasty on the rib hump deformity are well accepted. The rib resection procedure allowed for procurement of autogenous bone used for the arthrodesis. Short- and long-term pulmonary function evaluation was necessary to determine proper patient selection and any potential sequelae from the rib resection procedure. METHODS: All patients had pulmonary function tests consisting of forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in 1 second, and total lung capacity performed before surgery and 3 months, 1 year, and 2 years after surgery. Ten adolescents also had computed tomographic scans before and after surgery to evaluate chest cage dimension changes after the procedure. RESULTS: The 3-month postoperative pulmonary function test values of the 19 adolescents experienced a statistically significant decline, averaging 16% (P < 0.05), however, the mean values for each parameter returned to just slightly below the preoperative value at 2-years follow-up. The pulmonary function test values of the seven adults experienced a 27% initial decline 3 months after surgery and a residual 23% decline 2 years after surgery; both values were statistically significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: We reserve the thoracoplasty procedure for adolescents and adults with preoperative pulmonary function values that will tolerate the morbidity associated with the rib resection. Adolescent patients appear to normalize their pulmonary function tests by 2 years follow-up, whereas long-term pulmonary function in the adult patient remains a concern.

Adolescent↗

Omentoplasty together with partial thoracoplasty: a one-stage operation for postpneumonectomy pleural empyema.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Postpneumonectomy pleural empyema is a rare but life-threatening complication in thoracic surgery. This article describes our treatment strategy of this condition with omentoplasty plus partial thoracoplasty. MATERIAL AND METHODS: During a 2-year period 5, patients were treated. Three patients had clinical signs of bronchial stump fistula confirmed by bronchoscopy and during thoracotomy. Four patients were preoperatively treated with tube thoracostomy and pleural irrigation (median 21 days). In one case no preoperative drainage procedure was used. All patients were treated by partial thoracoplasty and omental transfer as a single-stage operation. Thoracoplasty was performed extrapleurally according to CT findings to reduce the volume of the empyema cavity. Subsequently, the empyema cavity was opened and cleaned. Upper midline incision was used to mobilize omentum majus and transfer it through the diaphragm into the thoracic cavity. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: In 3 patients, the omentum filled the cavity only partially but that did not influence the results. All patients recovered without major complications. Two patients had nausea during the first postoperative days. No recurrence of pleural empyema occurred. Omentoplasty together with partial thoracoplasty is a safe and effective method in the treatment of postpneumonectomy pleural empyema both with and without broncial stump fistula. It can be performed as a single-stage operation without a pre- or postoperative open-window thoracostomy.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell↗

Giant extrathoracic hematoma after thoracoplasty--a case report.

A rare case of an extrathoracic giant hematoma developing after a thoracoplasty in a 67 year old man is presented herein. The patient underwent a right thoracoplasty without removal of plombage and a left thoracoplasty with removal of plombage for tuberculosis of the bilateral upper lobes 27 and 24 years prior to presentation, respectively. He presented to us in May, 1987, with a subscapular tumor which had been growing over the last 5 years. A giant tumor, measuring 23 x 17 x 12 cm and weighing 2585 g was successfully removed and the patient has since been well without any evidence of recurrence.

Aged↗

Thoracoplasty: current application to the infected pleural space.

Thoracoplasty, once commonly used in the management of cavitary pulmonary disease, continues to find application in the obliteration of infected pleural spaces. This study reports a series of 13 patients receiving thoracoplasty between 1976 and 1989. Five patients had chronic apical empyema spaces without prior resection of lung tissue. Two of the empyemas were due to tuberculosis, two were due to atypical mycobacteria, and one was due to postpneumonic empyema. All patients had extensive destruction of upper lobe tissue. Eight patients had undergone prior pulmonary resection; 3 had persistent infected spaces in the early postoperative period, 3 had development of empyemas and bronchopleural fistulas late (5 to 19 years) after pulmonary resection, and 2 had postpneumonectomy empyema. All patients had rigid cavity walls preventing space obliteration by rib removal alone and required concomitant resection of the thickened pleura and intercostal muscle tissues. Bronchopleural fistulas were present in 11 patients and were closed with adjacent nonintercostal muscle. All patients survived and had successful obliteration of the infected spaces with acceptable physiological and cosmetic results. We conclude that thoracoplasty remains a useful procedure in the management of the infected pleural space in select patients.

Adult↗

Thoracoplasty in the context of current surgical practice.

Although widely employed for well over a century as a procedure for reducing the capacity of the thoracic cavity, thoracoplasty in current practice has become a rarity. A retrospective analysis of 37 patients (29 men, 8 women) who underwent the procedure under the care of one thoracic surgeon in a 16-year period provides the basis for this presentation. Ages ranged from 23 to 82 years with a mean age of 58 +/- 12.8. The mean follow-up was 8.5 years. Nineteen patients underwent the procedure for complications after lung resection for lung cancer. There were four perioperative deaths in this group (21.1%) and 6 long-term survivors (31.6%). Eighteen patients without lung cancer underwent thoracoplasty as a planned treatment or for complications. There were no perioperative deaths, two late deaths, and 16 long-term survivors (88.9%) in the group. In the entire series, the overall perioperative mortality rate was 10.8% with no major long-term morbidity. Although proper timing and proper patient selection are essential in the use of thoracoplasty as a procedure to cope with the septic complications of lung cancer resection, it is overall a safe and successful procedure that has a relatively low mortality and that leads to considerable improvement in quality of life.

Adult↗