Interactive cardiovascular and thoracic surgery
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Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Jul 2009
Case ReportsThoracoscopic drainage of ascending mediastinitis arising from pancreatic pseudocyst.
Acute mediastinitis is a life-threatening disease. Common etiologies include surgical infection, esophageal perforation, and descending necrotizing mediastinitis from the oral cavity or pharynx. Mediastinitis caused by pancreatic disease is rare. ⋯ We report a case of acute mediastinitis and bilateral empyema thoracis arising from a pancreatic pseudocyst. We utilized thoracoscopy to drain the mediastinum without drainage of the intra-abdominal cyst. The patient recovered well after operation.