Lung function in patients operated for chronic pleural empyema.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate lung function after lung decortication in patients operated for chronic pleural empyema.


METHODS
To determine the lung function after lung decortication in 20 men (71.4%) and 8 women (28.6%) a prospective evaluation of blood gases, spirometry, lung perfusion, ventilation, and alveolar permeability were performed 28 weeks (15-60 weeks) after the operation.


RESULTS
Median lung perfusion on the affected side was 45.2% (26.1-55.3%) in 13 right and 36% (13.8-47.2%) in 15 left empyemas, and was within normal limits in 4/28 cases. The mean lung ventilation was 44.4% (21.5-54%) and 37% (18.9-50.6%) in patients affected on the right or left side, respectively. Ventilation perfusion inequality occurred in 22 patients (78.6%). Dynamic ventilation scintigraphy revealed impairment of epithelial integrity in 10 cases (35.7%). Individual analysis revealed that 15 patients (53.6%) showed a severe reduction in one of the examinations and 8 (28.6%) in more than one.


CONCLUSIONS
Although the separate analysis of the different functional parameters revealed a mild reduction of lung function after decortication, in the majority of patients the impairment was more severe due to multilevel functional lung damage.
Rzyman
W
W
Department of Thoracic Surgery, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland. wrzyman@amg.gda.pl
Skokowski
J
J
Romanowicz
G
G
Lass
P
P
Murawski
M
M
Taraszewska
M
M
Dziadziuszko
R
R
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001784:Blood Gas Analysis; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004562:Electrocardiography; D016724:Empyema, Pleural / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008176:Lung Volume Measurements; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011013:Pneumonectomy / Q000379:methods*; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011336:Probability; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011659:Pulmonary Gas Exchange; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013147:Spirometry; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016896:Treatment Outcome