title: Videothoracoscopic drainage of mediastinal abscess: an alternative to thoracotomy.
abstract: A late-presenting high esophageal perforation that resulted in a massive mediastinal abscess and bronchopleural fistula in an elderly moribund patient unfit for radical surgery was successfully drained using a videothoracoscopic technique.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Papworth Hospital, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Ritchie
mesh_terms: D000038:Abscess / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D000368:Aged; D004322:Drainage / Q000379:methods*; D004939:Esophageal Perforation / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008477:Mediastinal Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D020775:Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted; D013906:Thoracoscopy