title: Thoracoplasty in the context of current surgical practice.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Frenchay Hospital, Bristol, England.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Peppas
authors.forename: T F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Molnar
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jeyasingham
authors.forename: A B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Kirk
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001228:Aspergillosis / Q000601:surgery; D001983:Bronchial Fistula / Q000601:surgery; D016724:Empyema, Pleural / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005402:Fistula / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008172:Lung Diseases, Fungal / Q000601:surgery; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008271:Mycetoma / Q000601:surgery; D010995:Pleural Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000601:surgery; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013905:Thoracoplasty / Q000379:methods; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000601:surgery