title: The treatment of chronic pleural empyema with laparoscopic omentoplasty. Initial report.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pleural empyema is the most serious, life-threatening postoperative complication of pneumonectomy, observed after 1-12% of all pneumonectomies, with bronchopleural fistula being its main cause.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this publication is to present early outcomes of minimally invasive surgical management of pleural empyema. Patients were subjected to a single, complex procedure, consisting of the laparoscopic mobilization of the greater omentum and its transposition via the diaphragm into the pleural cavity to fill in the empyema cavity with the consecutive pleuro-cutaneous fistuloplasty (thoracoplasty).
  
  
  METHODS
  Between May 2011 and April 2013, 8 patients were qualified to undergo the procedure. The mean age was 61 years (range: 46-77 years). Presence of bronchopleural fistula was confirmed in 3 cases. The median time of treatment with thoracostomy was 14.5 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean operative time was 125 min. The mean duration of post-operative hospital stay was 13.5 days (range: 7-31 days). In 6 patients (75%) the objective of permanent resolution of pleural empyema was achieved. In total, 4 patients had complications: pleural empyema recurrence (2 patients), splenic injury, hiatal hernia, gastrointestinal bleed. Two patients with empyema recurrence had Staphylococcus aureus infections prior to surgery. They were successfully managed both with prolonged thoracic drainage and antibiotics.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Use of the greater omentum that was laparoscopically mobilized and transpositioned into the pleural cavity allows simultaneous management of the pleural empyema cavity and thoracostomy. The procedure is safe, with few direct complications. It is well tolerated and has at least a satisfactory cosmetic effect. The minimally invasive approach allows faster recovery and return to daily activities in comparison to the fully open technique.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland.
authors.forename: Wojciech
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Żurek
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Oncology, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland.
authors.forename: Wojciech
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Makarewicz
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Oncology, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland.
authors.forename: Maciej
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bobowicz
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland.
authors.forename: Wioletta
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Sawicka
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland.
authors.forename: Witold
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Rzyman
keywords: bronchopleural fistula; laparoscopic omentoplasty; minimally invasive surgery; pleural empyema; pleuro-cutaneous fistuloplasty; thoracoplasty