[Follow-up study results and lung function changes following lung resection in childhood]

101 patients were subjected to partial lung resection from 1962-1969 at the Division of Paediatric Surgery in the Department of Paediatrics of the University of Cologne. Follow-up examinations were performed in 38 patients. 24 patients were entirely without complaints, 9 had mild subjective complaints, and only 5 patients stated they were suffering continually from dyspnoea. Lung function tests were conducted in all patients, revealing a significant drop in vital capacity as the number of resected segments increased. The intrathoracic gas volume expressed in percentage of the standard value increased significantly with the number of resected segments. The flow volume curves dropped with the number of resected segments, whereas the airway resistance increased. These studies show that lung resections are not always tolerated without restricted function even by children. Hence, lung resection should be performed with utmost discretion and only if absolutely necessary. This is all the more important since adjacent pulmonary tissue may also be involved in the pathological process due to the underlying disease.