[Bilateral lung resections]

Bilateral operations on the lungs were carried out in 90 patients with hydatid disease, intrapulmonary metastases, carcinoma, and bronchiectasis. Various types of stepwise resections of the lung are the operation of choice. One-stage interventions are allowable in rare cases of circumscribed affection with a hydatid cyst or metastases. Sternotomy is the standard approach in such cases. The total postoperative mortality was 4.4%. Economical operations less than lobectomy in volume are safest and most effective. Neither complications nor fatal outcomes were encountered subsequently. More extensive operations are marked by increased risk of complications, particularly if the volume of the resection exceeds lobectomy on both sides. Such an approach is justified in carcinoma because other methods of treatment leave no hope. Bilateral resections are indicated in purulent diseases mainly in children and young persons with circumscribed atelectatic forms of bronchiectasis.