title: Chest wall defect and chronic pleural infection: surgical treatment with thoracomyoplasty and open window thoracostomy.
abstract: We report a rare case of a 75-year-old hemiplegic man with a chronic pleural infection, a bronchopleural fistula, and a full-thickness defect of the chest. In one operation we performed open-window thoracostomy and pleural decortication as well as reconstruction of the chest defect and reclosure of the bronchopleural fistula with a latissimus dorsi muscle flap. The patient made a good recovery and was sent for rehabilitation in good condition. Surgical treatment was essential to control and ultimately halt the septic process. Use of a muscle transplant in a hemiplegic patient did not reduce mobility.
authors.affiliation: Department of General, Visceral, Thoracic, Transplantation, and Pediatric Surgery, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany. maximilian.pichler@chiru.med.uni-giessen.de
authors.forename: Maximilian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pichler
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Albrecht
authors.forename: Winfried
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Padberg
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001983:Bronchial Fistula / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004654:Empyema, Tuberculous / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D035441:Thoracic Wall / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D013905:Thoracoplasty / Q000379:methods; D013907:Thoracostomy; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed