[Surgical treatment of chronic nonspecific empyemas]

Approximately 4% to 20% of all acute empyema turn into chronic empyema despite the up-to-date complex treatment. The authors report their results of the surgical treatment of 38 patients with chronic nontuberculous empyema within a 5 years period. The age of the patients range from 18 to 72 years and they include 26 men and 12 women. Twenty eight were treated by thoracotomy and decortication, 7 underwent video-assisted thoracoscopy and decortication, and 3 thoracoplasty. In one of the patients a latissimus dorsi muscle flap was used.