title: [Pleural empyema complicated by spontaneous pneumothorax treated with thoracoscopic debridement and pleural irrigation: case report].
abstract: A 69-year-old man who had experienced spontaneous left pneumothorax one week previously was admitted to our hospital for the management of left empyema thoracis. Because the symptoms did not resolve with antibiotic therapy and chest tube drainage, thoracoscopic debridement and pleural irrigation were performed in the fibrinopurulent phase 4 days after admission. The postoperative course was uneventful. This procedure is minimally invasive and effective in the treatment of acute empyema.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic and Cardiovasucular Surgery, Sapporo General Hospital of Hokkaido Railway Company, Japan.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kosino
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000368:Aged; D003646:Debridement / Q000379:methods*; D004322:Drainage / Q000379:methods*; D016724:Empyema, Pleural / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures; D010994:Pleura; D011030:Pneumothorax / Q000150:complications*