title: A safe and effective method for an immediate bronchopleural fistula repair.
abstract: Bronchopleural fistula (BPF) is a well recognized and potentially fatal complication of major thoracic surgery and several strategies regarding its prevention and subsequent management have been described. An immediate BPF occurring intraoperatively after bronchial closure is a rare event and is usually treated by bronchial stump reamputation and/or hand-suture reinforcement by mattress suture, or myoplasty. We report a simple and successful technique, using azygous vein flaps, to repair an intraoperative BPF associated to a small bronchial dehiscence occurred after a right pneumonectomy in a 70-year-old diabetic man receiving induction chemotherapy treatment.
authors.affiliation: Division of Thoracic Surgery, European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy. domenico.galetta@ieo.it
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Galetta
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Veronesi
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Solli
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Petrella
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Borri
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gasparri
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Leo
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Spaggiari
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000672:Amputation Stumps; D001983:Bronchial Fistula / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D010995:Pleural Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D011013:Pneumonectomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome