title: [Left pyo-pneumothorax: a rare complication of colon carcinoma].
abstract: A case of pio-pneumothorax complicating a splenic flexure colonic carcinoma is herein presented. The patient was a 58 years old male and was submitted 3 months earlier to a colo-colic bypass for a locally advanced tumor infiltrating stomach, spleen, tail of the pancreas and left emidiaphragm. Few days before the admittance in our ward, he experienced fever, anorexia, and severe dispnoea. Treatment was a water seal drainage of the chest evacuating nearly 8 Liters of purulent material where Escherichia coli was found. Death occurred 2 weeks after drainage. From the analysis of the literature thoracic empyema is an extremely rare complication of colonic carcinoma: 5 other cases have been reported so far. Pathogenesis in half of the cases was due to septicemia and in the others to infectious local spreading.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Chirurgiche e Trapianti d'Organo, Sezione di Chirurgia Generale II, Università degli Studi, Cagliari.
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Oskorouchi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Licheri
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pisano
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Erdas
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Casu
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Crobu
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pomata
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000150:complications* / Q000601:surgery; D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical; D012809:Colon, Sigmoid / Q000601:surgery; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000601:surgery; D004322:Drainage; D016724:Empyema, Pleural / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000209:etiology*; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009102:Multiple Organ Failure / Q000209:etiology; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D011030:Pneumothorax / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012772:Shock, Septic / Q000209:etiology