SSK Süreyyapaşa Göğüs Hastalıkları ve Göğüs Kalp ve Damar Cerrahisi Merkezi. Göğüs Hastalıkları Bölümü, İSTANBUL

In this study we aimed to evaluate the effect of decortication to decrease the restriction of pulmonary function caused by pleural thickining due to thoracic empyema. At 2000, we evaluated clinical results, preoperative and postoperative pulmonary function tests (PFT) of 32 patients with pleural thickining due to thoracic empyema who underwent the decortication between 1991 and 1999. For statistical analyzes student's t test was used. Patients were seperated in to two groups according to etiologic agents of empyema as tuberculosis and nonspecific. Tuberculosis group had 20 patients 17 of them were males aged between 16 and 47 mean 27 years old. Their preoperative PFT were found to be FVC 65,2±9,09 %, FEV1 65,05±12,29 % and postoperative PFT were FVC 75,55±14,17 %, FEV1 78,5±14,76 % . Nonspecific group had 12 patients 10 of them were males aged between 14 and 46, mean 32 years old. Their preoperative PFT were FVC 75,83±17,76 % and FEV1 76,63±17,35 %, postoperative PFT were FVC 95,33±18,78 % FEV1 91,75±18,17 % . Both groups had statistically significant improvement (p=0.0009, p=0.004). Before operation mean treatment duration was 150 days at tuberculosis group and 50 days at nonspecific group. No improvement of PFT was observed in 3 (15%) patients of tuberculosis group and 1 (8%) patient of nonspecific group. It is determined that the PFT were much more detoriated in patients with chronic tuberculosis empyema (p<0.005). According to this study it is found that decortication operation improves the pulmonary function tests significantly in both groups.