title: [Open-window surgery of pleural empyema].
abstract: Thoracoscopic is performed for treatment of pleuric empiema with 65% of recovery. In the old patients the Authors achieved high grade of recovery with open window (OW) procedure. In the last two years, 7 patients with pleuric empiema underwent this treatment. In two patients the origin was tuberculosis, in 4 empiema was post-pneumonitic; in one case the cause was broncho-pleuric fistula after pneumonectomy. All the operations were performed under general anesthesia. The Authors began with thoracoscopy, drainage of cavity and then they performed the resection of one or more ribs and a pleuro-cutaneous flap: 5 patients recovered without complications. OW seems to be very useful in the case in which more radical approach is impossible. Continuous irrigations of the cavity, with rapid pulmonary expansion, permits recovery without the use of myocutaneous flaps.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Chirurgia Toracica e Cardiovascolare, Università degli Studi di Messina.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Monaco
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carditello
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barone
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Barresi
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mondello
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: De Leo
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016724:Empyema, Pleural / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D004724:Endoscopy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008722:Methods; D011013:Pneumonectomy; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000150:complications; D013906:Thoracoscopy; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000150:complications