Surgical indications for treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis

Surgery for pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) has passed through various stages throughout history, having been the treatment of choice in the past. It has now been relegated to second place for treatment of this disease. One of the most strongly debated surgical indications has been clinical picture of multidrug resistance with the focus of pulmonary tuberculous activity located in a segment, lobe, or lung. In these cases some authors have described good results with surgical excision. Another important indication is the complications of PTB, among which bronchiectases (provoking pictures of suppuration, superinfections, or hemoptysis) are found, along with known destructive pulmonary sequelae such as destroyed lung, massive hemoptysis, and the presence of a bronchopleural fistula that cannot be resolved with pleural drainage. The presence of a neoplasm in a patient affected by PTB is a surgical indication if the lesion is resectable. The existence of an unidentifiable pulmonary mass or node is a surgical criterion because it might signal bronchogenic carcinoma. A frequent indication for surgery is pulmonary aspergilloma, which in a large percentage of cases is a destructive PTB sequela and generates serious complications, hemoptysis being the most frequent. Mediastinal tuberculous lymphadenitis that produces compressive symptoms and pulmonary complications, especially in children, is another surgical indication for decompressing the bronchial tree. The surgery in these cases consists in excision and curettage of adenopathies. Surgery therefore now constitutes a valid option for the treatment of certain clinical pictures of PTB that do not respond to medical treatment, are serious, and are potentially fatal.