CONSERVATIVE TREATMENT OF EMPYEMA IN CHILDREN

Seventy-two children with no underlying diseases were treated for empy ema. Radical surgical approaches like decortication were necessary for only 3 children. In 66 children tube drainage was applied. Staphyloco ccus aureus was cultured or was shown in Gram's stain in 32 (44%) and children with this microorganism had longer duration of tube drainage (p < 0.05). The period for normalization of chest X-ray was positively related with the age of the patient (p < 0.05). In 60 of 72 children, chest X-ray was normal after 3 months. Follow-up of the patients 18 m onths after the infection revealed that pulmonary radiograms were norm al in all cases and pulmonary function tests were within normal limits in all of the tested children (n = 25). It is emphasized that avoidin g major surgical approaches must be encouraged in childhood empyema.