Surgery for unilateral bronchiectasis: results and prognostic factors

King Khalid University Hospital referral centre for thoracic surgery, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

To assess the results of surgery and factors influencing its outcome in patients with unilateral bronchiectasis.

A retrospective analysis of 40 patients with unilateral bronchiectasis who were operated upon consecutively at King Khalid Hospital, between July 1987 and May 1993.

Left-sided disease was seen in 60% (n = 24) and right-sided in 40% (n = 16) of the patients. The entire lung was involved in 30% of cases (n = 12). Of these, the left lung was totally involved in 22.5% (n = 9) and the right in 7.5% (n = 3). A lobectomy was performed on 21 patients, basal segmentectomy with preservation of apical segment on 7, and pneumonectomy on 12. There was no operative mortality in this series. Six patients (15%) developed postoperative complications, bleeding (n = 4) and prolonged air leak (n = 2). During an average follow-up period of 30.7 months (+/- 15.4 months), 29 patients (72.5%) were cured and the remaining 11 (27.5%) improved. No patients with Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection (n = 3) or obstructive airway disease (n = 5) were cured (P = 0.02 and P = 0.002 respectively).

Curative resection for selected patients with unilateral bronchiectasis can be performed safely with good results and low morbidity. Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection and obstructive airway disease have an adverse effect on postoperative cure.