[Intrapulmonary hematoma surrounding the stapled line after video-assisted thoracoscopic bullectomy for spontaneous...

A 52-year-old man presented at our hospital with hemoptysis three months after undergoing a video-assisted thoracoscopic bullectomy for spontaneous pneumothorax. A chest X-ray showed a localized infiltrative shadow in the right upper lobe of the lung. The chest CT findings revealed a mass-like lesion surrounding the staple which had been used during the bullectomy. He therefore underwent a pulmonary resection including the lesion due to the continued hemoptysis that did not improve even after treatment by hemostatic agents and bronchial arterial embolization. The resected specimen revealed an intrapulmonary hematoma with severe inflammation. The late onset hematoma which was induced by the stapler may thus be a rare complication in video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery.