The modern use of thoracoplasty

Thoracoplasty is a time-honored but, at present, rarely indicated procedure for reducing thoracic cavity volume. This study reviews a series of 30 patients treated with thoracoplasty over a 14-year period (1970 through 1983). Indications were to close a persistent pleural space in 28 patients and to tailor the thoracic cavity to accept diminished lung volume concomitant with a pulmonary resection in 2 patients. Persistent pleural space, often associated with a bronchopleural fistula (24 patients), occurred after operation in 19 patients: following pulmonary resection in 17 patients, resection of mesothelioma in 1 patient, and following decortication without resection in 1. In the remaining 9 patients with a persistent pleural space, problems developed from primary lung destruction due to tuberculosis (4 patients), postpneumonic empyema (1 patient), or as late infection of a residual pleural space many years after therapeutic pneumothorax and collapse therapy for tuberculosis (4 patients). The overall success rate of thoracoplasty in eliminating intrathoracic space problems was 73%. There were 3 deaths (10%) and 5 failures to heal, representing a 33% failure in the first half of the series (to 1976) and a 17% failure rate thereafter (1 death and 1 nonhealing patient). The primary underlying disease was tuberculosis in 23 patients, 8 of whom had concomitant aspergilloma and 1, atypical tuberculosis. The failures were analyzed and reviewed to clarify the principles for the successful use of thoracoplasty. It is concluded that thoracoplasty is a rarely required salvage-type procedure applicable to moderately debilitated patients in whom it is considered desirable to eliminate open drainage.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)