Developing bronchial fistulas as a late complication of extraperiosteal plombage

A 65-year-old male, who underwent extraperiosteal plombage for pulmonary tuberculosis 46 years ago, was referred to our hospital due to relapsing hemosputa and pneumonia. A chest computed tomography scan revealed a bronchial fistula and a fluid collection in one Lucite ball. On May 20, 1996, a right-anterior thoracotomy was performed in a supine position. Five Lucite balls were removed, and the empyema space was tightly filled with an omental pedicle flap. Although the bronchial fistulas were not sutured directly, the air leakage from the drainage tube ceased 12 days later. Two years postoperatively the patient has remained well. Our simple approach of combining an anterior thoracotomy and replacement of an empyema space with an omental pedicle flap in the same posture, without closing bronchial fistulas, would be an easy procedure, and therefore exploitable in patients who have a similar problem.