Chronic bronchopleural fistula in conservatively-treated calcified fibrothorax

We describe two cases of a bronchopleural fistula developing in a calcified fibrothorax several decades after the initial pleurisy. In a follow-up lasting many years, the fistulae are persistent, with only minor symptoms. We suggest that this benign course without serious illness is due to the fact that the calcified shell effectively seals off the infection, and that a conservative approach is likely to be successful.