title: [Pneumonectomy for benign disease].
abstract: Pneumonectomy for benign disease of the lung is a rather infrequent intervention. A retrospective study based on 1900 pulmonary resections performed in our institute up to 1998, identified a total of 15 patients submitted to pneumonectomy for non-neoplastic disease. Indications were chronic infections in 11 cases, congenital malformations in 2 cases, left primary bronchial stenosis caused by closed thoracic trauma one in case and gunshot wound in one case. Access to the lung was obtained in all cases by a classic postero-lateral thoracotomy: intra-pericardial ligature was required in five cases and in one patient an extrapleural pneumonectomy was performed. The intra-operative mortality was 20% and the average time of hospitalization 27 days. One patient, operated for pulmonary tuberculosis, developed a broncopleural fistula requiring a second operation. In conclusion, the use of pneumonectomy for non-neoplastic diseases presents serious problems and may be associated with major complications.
authors.affiliation: Università degli Studi G. D'Annunzio, Chieti.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Altobelli
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Iarussi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sacco
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Beltrami
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011013:Pneumonectomy; D012189:Retrospective Studies