Experiences with phases adapted therapy of thoracic empyema

Introduction: Up till now the phases adapted treatment of a pleural empyema. unfortunately is still not obvious, but recently the operative spectrum has been widened in the field of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) of the pleural empyema. Patients and methods: In the present study we examined an our patients with a pleural empyema and we followed them for a postoperative period of 4 years analysing our therapy-efficacy and our treatment concept of pleural empyema. Results. 52 out of 102 patients - who suffered from a pleural empyema in the last 10 years - were reexamined postoperatively. In 96% of the 102 cases we found a phase II-III empyema. Initially all patients were treated with a closed-chest-tube drainage, followed by an operation in 78%. In 6 cases a video-assisted-thoracoscopic evacuation of the cavity with an early decortication was performed. All the 52 patients who were treated in an early phase showed the best functional results 4 years later. Conclusion: Especially in phase III the open operative revision of a pleural empyema is the method of choice. In the fibrinopurulent phase the drainage therapy may be sufficient. If the empyema cavity is divided we recommend the early video-assisted-thoracoscopic revision of the thoracic empyema.