[Pleuropulmonary decortication in the treatment of chronic pleural sacs]

The paper reports on the indications and results obtained, in the study of 224 autonomous or associated pleural pulmonary decortications. The decortication is aimed at removing the chronic pleural sack and the possible parenchymatous lesions and at the recovery of the maximum functional pulmonary parenchyma. For the recently chronic cases, the authors suggest the early surgical indication; the pleural pulmonary decortication is better achieved technically and gives better lesional and functional results if it is made earlier; the optimum operatory moment of the decortication superimposes on the moment of chronicization of the pleural sack (2-6 months). The decortications for chronic pleural tuberculous sacks were followed by good results in 85.72% of cases, and those for nontuberculous affections in 95.23%. The mortality for the whole sample was of 2.23%. Nowadays, when empyemas generated by old methods of medico-surgical collapse and the chronic bacillary pleurisies are more and more seldom, the pulmonary decortication seems to improve its lesional results, and mainly to give better functional results.