Change in Pulmonary Function Following Empyemectomy and Decortication in Tuberculous and Non-Tuberculous Chronic Empyema Thoracis

Chronic empyema thoracis results from various etiologies. Improvement in pulmonary function after empyemectomy and decortication has proved difficult to predict when the etiology of chronic empyema thoracis is tuberculosis. The purpose of this study was to confirm the changes in pulmonary function according to the etiology after an operation. Sixty-five patients were classified into two groups according to their etiology: Group A (tuberculous) and Group B (non-tuberculous), and they were retrospectively evaluated with regard to their forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), percentage of predicted normal value of FEV1 (% FEV1) and FVC (%FVC). Empyemectomy and decortication was performed for all the patients and the two groups were similar in age, gender and preoperative spirometric parameters. In Group A (n=41), the pre- and postoperative mean values were 2.31L and 2.88L in FEV1, 65.8% and 80.5% in %FEV1, 2.62L and 2.55 L in VC, 61.9% and 71.8% in %VC, respectively. In Group B (n=24), the pre- and postoperative mean values were 2.13L and 2.49L in FEV1, 66.4% and 73.8% in %FEV1, 2.55L and 2.95 L in FVC, 64.9% and 71.8% in %FVC, respectively. All the spirometric parameters improved significantly in both groups compared to their preoperative values. However, no significance was shown in the rate of increase of the spirometric parameters between the two groups. In conclusion, improvement of lung function is expected after empyemectomy and decortication, regardless of the etiology of the chronic empyema thoracis.

Empiema tuberculoso / Tuberculous empyema

El empiema tuberculoso es considerado como una entidad poco frecuente y habitualmente es la complicación de una tuberculosis pleural, sin embargo hay condiciones clínicas que pueden favorecer su desarrollo como son el plombage, oleotórax y neumotórax terapéutico, también se puede desarrollar a partir de una cicatriz fibrosa, por una neumonectomía o por una toracoplastia. Su fisiopatogenia es poco conocida, pero a diferencia de la tuberculosis pleural, el empiema de tipo tuberculoso es ocasionado por una infección de la cavidad pleural por el Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Sus cuadros clínico y radiológico no son muy diferentes al derrame pleural tuberculoso, pero la presencia de fístula broncopleural puede complicar su cuadro clínico. El tratamiento requiere de un manejo con medicamentos antituberculosos, conjuntamente con manejo quirúrgico. El manejo quirúrgico se basa en el drenaje del material purulento, y puede ser tan sencillo como el colocar una sonda endopleural, pero en algunos casos será necesario un manejo más agresivo como la pleurotomía abierta o bien, la toracotomía.