title: [A case of surgical treatment for a bilateral pneumothorax that occurred in a patient with severe asbestosis and advanced emphysema].
abstract: A 71-year-old male with a history of asbestosis was referred to our department for the treatment of a bilateral pneumothorax. His pulmonary function was severely impaired because of asbestosis and emphysema. Chest computed tomography showed severe emphysema with bilateral multiple bullae. Although chest drainage tubes were placed in the bilateral thorax, the left lung did not completely expand due to a persistent air leak. We performed VATS while retaining the patient's spontaneous respiration under general sedation with regional epidural anesthesia, since one-lung, positive pressure ventilation was considered to be difficult to achieve. After the airway was secured by a laryngeal-mask, the bullae were then thoracoscopically resected. The pneumothorax improved after surgery.
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kurihara
authors.forename: Daigo
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kawano
authors.forename: Tatsuro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: Takatoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fujishita
authors.forename: Yuzo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Hirokazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kitahara
authors.forename: Shinichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shimamatsu
authors.forename: Mikihiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kouno
authors.forename: Yousuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Morodomi
authors.forename: Yoshihiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Maehara
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001195:Asbestosis / Q000150:complications*; D004646:Emphysema / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011030:Pneumothorax / Q000601:surgery*; D020775:Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted