title: Thoracoscopic drainage of ascending mediastinitis arising from pancreatic pseudocyst.
abstract: Acute mediastinitis is a life-threatening disease. Common etiologies include surgical infection, esophageal perforation, and descending necrotizing mediastinitis from the oral cavity or pharynx. Mediastinitis caused by pancreatic disease is rare. The most common thoracic complication of pancreatic disease is reactive pleural effusion. We report a case of acute mediastinitis and bilateral empyema thoracis arising from a pancreatic pseudocyst. We utilized thoracoscopy to drain the mediastinum without drainage of the intra-abdominal cyst. The patient recovered well after operation.
authors.affiliation: Division of General Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, No. 21, Sec. 2, Nan-Yah S.Rd. Banqiao City, Taipei, Taiwan. duck38@mail.femh.org.tw
authors.forename: Yi-Chen
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Chung-Wei
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015505:Chest Tubes; D003646:Debridement; D004322:Drainage / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D016724:Empyema, Pleural / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008480:Mediastinitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D009336:Necrosis; D010192:Pancreatic Pseudocyst / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D020775:Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents