Indications for surgery in patients with localized pulmonary infection.
Nowadays, antibiotic and antifungal therapy is effective in treating some of the infections that can involve the lung parenchyma in a localized manner, such as bacterial abscess and infection with nonresistant tuberculosis strains. However, other localized pulmonary infections, for example aspergilloma and mucormycosis, are highly resistant to nonsurgical therapy, and in these diseases there are no generally successful options that do not include surgical resection. This article reviews the indications for surgical intervention in the treatment of common infections involving the lung, and also focuses on the general approaches to their management.
Division of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
Robert E
RE
Merritt
Joseph B
JB
Shrager
D000196:Actinomycosis / Q000601:surgery; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008169:Lung Abscess / Q000601:surgery; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000382:microbiology / Q000601:surgery*; D008172:Lung Diseases, Fungal / Q000382:microbiology / Q000601:surgery*; D009091:Mucormycosis / Q000601:surgery; D009617:Nocardia Infections / Q000601:surgery; D055732:Pulmonary Aspergillosis / Q000601:surgery; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000601:surgery