title: Video-assisted thoracoscopic sterilization for exacerbation of chronic empyema thoracis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the efficacy of video-assisted thoracoscopic sterilization to treat patients with exacerbation of chronic empyema thoracis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case reports and literature review.
  
  
  METHODS
  Academic department of surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two elderly, debilitated patients with worsening, chronic empyema thoracis as diagnosed by radiographs, CT, and thoracentesis. Both patients had a history of therapeutic pneumothorax for tuberculosis without bronchopleural fistulas.
  
  
  METHODS
  Video-assisted thoracoscopic sterilization of the thoracic cavity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no recurrence of empyema during a 6-year follow-up period for one patient and a 2.5-year follow-up period for the other patient.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Video-assisted thoracoscopic sterilization is a minimally invasive useful treatment for elderly or debilitated patients with exacerbation of chronic empyema thoracis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Showa University Fujigaoka Hospital, Yokohama, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kitami
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kamio
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Narushima
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Suzuki
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D018450:Disease Progression; D016724:Empyema, Pleural / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures; D020775:Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted; D013906:Thoracoscopy; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed