THE UNUSUAL DEVELOPMENT OF EMPYEMA WITH MULTIPLE ALVEOLOBRONCHIOLAR FISTULAS 8 YEARS AFTER NON-CURATIVE RESECTION AND RADIATION FOR LUNG-CANCER - REPORT OF A CASE
M. Okada et al., THE UNUSUAL DEVELOPMENT OF EMPYEMA WITH MULTIPLE ALVEOLOBRONCHIOLAR FISTULAS 8 YEARS AFTER NON-CURATIVE RESECTION AND RADIATION FOR LUNG-CANCER - REPORT OF A CASE, SURGERY TODAY-THE JAPANESE JOURNAL OF SURGERY, 23(12), 1993, pp. 1085-1088
We present herein the case of a man who developed empyema with multipl
e lung fistulae 8 years after receiving postoperative radiation for a
residual tumor on the bronchial stump. The patient was successfully ma
naged with two-stage surgery, involving an open window thoracotomy, fo
llowed by omental flap transfer. This case documents how postoperative
radiotherapy that was effective following non-curative resection was
also responsible for the development of empyema. Furthermore, although
the empyema was successfully treated using the omentum, a small free
spate remained in the thorax, which resolved within 2 months.