[Pulmonary mycobacterium intracellulare infection complicated with pneumothorax and chronic empyema]

A 75-year-old woman who had been treated for pulmonary Mycobacterium intracellulare infection was admitted to a nearby hospital because of hemoptysis, right pneumothorax, and empyema. She had been treated by thoracic drainage and pleural lavage, but was reffered to our hospital because of refractory empyema. Her chest radiograph and chest computed tomography( CT) showed right chronic empyema of which pleural aspirate was smear positive for acid-fast bacilli and positive for the polymerase chain reaction method(PCR)-Mycobacterium intracellulare. Serum levels of white blood cell and C-reactive protein(CRP) were found to be slightly elevated. She was treated with combined use of ethambutol, rifampicin, clarithromycin, and kanamycin and with pleural curettage by thoracoscopic surgery. After surgery additional treatment was done using urokinase which was administered into the thoracic cavity via an thoracic tube. Chronic empyema gradually improved with the treatment and the pleural effusion became bacterial free, enabling the patient to discharge from hospital without thoracic drainage.