Twenty seven patients with empyema thoracis were treated by decortication at Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Kon-Kuk University Hospital during 3 years between January, 1994 and December, 1996. Twenty were male, and seven were femal...
Twenty seven patients with empyema thoracis were treated by decortication at Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Kon-Kuk University Hospital during 3 years between January, 1994 and December, 1996. Twenty were male, and seven were female. The most prevalent age group was the thirties(29.6%). The cardinal symptoms were dyspnea(59.3%), chest pain(44.4%), fever and chill(29.6), coughing and sputum production, general weakness, empyema necessitatis in order. The underlying pathologic lesions of empyema were tuberculosis(55.6%), posttraumatic complication(14.8%), pneumonia(11.1%), iatrogenic, chronic pneumothorax in order. Major indications for decortication in our hospital were clotted hemothorax, parapneumonic effusion progressing to empyema, chronic Empyema, tuberculous pleurisy with lung entrapment, postoperative Empyema, and fibrothorax. Excellent results were obtained in 26 patients excepts 1 mortality case.