CLOSURE OF A BRONCHO-PLEURAL FISTULA AFTE R VIDEO-ASSISTED MEDIASTINAL PNEUMONECTOMY

Distruption of a mainstrem bronchus is a rare but dreaded complication of pneumonectomy. When the bronchial tump measures at least 15 mm, th e conventional therapeutic strategy is to drain the pleural cavity fol lowed by closure of the fistula via trans-mediastinal sternotomy, Afte r an experimental study on cadavers to test the technical feasibility of main bronchus closure via a cervical approach using a video-mediast inoscope, we used video-assisted mediastinal surgery successfully in a patient with a left main bronchus fistula.