title: Surgical treatment of bullous emphysema.
abstract: Between 1974 and 1981, 20 patients had surgical treatment for bullous emphysema. There were 15 males and five females with a mean age of 40 years. The majority of patients had symptomatic respiratory disease, were smokers and had a past history of lung disease. In all cases bullae were visible on chest X-ray, the primary diagnostic investigation, and simple spirometry was used to assess lung function pre- and postoperatively. Cyst resection was performed in 14 cases (two bi-laterally) and pleurodesis was added in six of these cases. Lobectomy was performed in four patients and in two a pedunculated cyst was simply ligated and excised. There were no deaths and morbidity was acceptably low. Vital capacity (VC), Forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and FEV1:VC ratio were all significantly improved with surgery though the correlation of subjective and objective results was variable. Surgery is appropriate for symptomatic patients with bullae visible on chest X-ray and asymptomatic patients with rapidly enlarging bullae occupying more than 30% of a hemithorax.
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.forename: C F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gianoutsos
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003560:Cysts / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008722:Methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D011656:Pulmonary Emphysema / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D011859:Radiography; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D012907:Smoking; D013147:Spirometry