title: [The surgical treatment of chronic empyema--from the stand point of preservation and improvement of pulmonary function].
abstract: During the period of 1978 to 1990, 247 patients with chronic empyema were operated. The cure rate was 88.3%. The operation was not successful in 29 patients (11.7%), of whom 19 were operative death and 10 were those whose condition never improved to the level of discharge. The pulmonary function improved post-operatively in those patients who underwent decortication and air-plombage, but not in those who underwent pleuropneumonectomy and thoracoplasty (modification of Grow's method). Most remarkable changes of pulmonary function were seen in patients who underwent thoracoplasty. Air-plombage was found effective in controlling empyema and for the preservation and improvement of post-operative pulmonary functions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Tokyo National Chest Hospital, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Komatsu
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Katayama
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Murakami
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sagara
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hayashi
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease; D004653:Empyema / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000502:physiology; D008722:Methods