Kekkaku : [Tuberculosis]
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Kekkaku : [Tuberculosis] · Dec 1989
Case Reports[A case of empyema after plastic ball plombage cured by air-plombage method].
Conventionally, thoracoplasty has been conducted for empyema space after removal of plastic ball for empyema cases after plastic ball plombage. We applied air-plombage method for empyema as a new operative technique. The patient was a 56-year-old man who had had 37 plastic balls implanted for the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis 39 years ago. ⋯ We selected air-plombage method rather than thoracoplasty as postoperative worsening of pulmonary functions was anticipated by the latter. Postoperative improvement of pulmonary functions could be explained by reinflation of the residual lobe due to removal of plastic balls and the capsule. When conventional thoracoplasty is carried out to obtain satisfying closure of the empyema cavity, pulmonary functions are always deteriorated, while air-plombage method is followed by slight improvement of pulmonary functions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)