title: Obliteration of empyema space by vascularized anterolateral thigh flaps.
abstract: Closure of the fistula and an appropriate choice of obliterating agents are crucial for the treatment of empyema with bronchopleural fistula. The choice of the material to be used for obliteration of the pleural space is a difficult one in some patients, such as those with empyema, developing after omentectomy, laparotomy, posterolateral thoracotomy, and so forth. The use of free anterolateral thigh flaps for obliteration of the pleural space generally needs a satisfactory vascular network around the thorax. We report two successfully treated cases of empyema with bronchial fistula, which were otherwise difficult to manage, in which a free anterolateral thigh musculocutaneous flap anastomosed to the superior thyroid vessels used to obliterate the pleural space.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Thoracic, Breast and Endocrinological Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa University, Kagawa, Japan. okuda@med.kagawa-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Masaya
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Okuda
authors.forename: Hiroyasu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yokomise
authors.forename: Gan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Muneuchi
authors.forename: Shinya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001983:Bronchial Fistula / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery; D004653:Empyema / Q000601:surgery*; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005743:Gastrectomy; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000601:surgery*; D010437:Peptic Ulcer / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D016896:Treatment Outcome