Surgery for pulmonary aspergillosis.

OBJECTIVE: Surgery of pulmonary aspergillosis followed by higher incidence of post-operative complications. This was the purpose to evaluate our material. METHODS: Between January 1983 and December 1995, the operation was carried out on a total of 84 patients for pulmonary aspergillosis. The patients were comprised of 71 males and 13 females, with a mean age of 49 years (range, 24-71). Previous lung disorders were observed in about half of the cases (most frequently tuberculosis), while in the other half aspergillosis was developed on the basis of (sub)-acute infections. Haemoptysis was present in 48% of patients. The diagnosis was suspected in 47 cases by chest X-ray. Aspergilloma was diagnosed in 50 patients pre-operatively (excluding 12 typical aspergillomas for cavernostomies), with the other pre-operative diagnoses being tuberculosis, lung cancer, pyoscelrosis, etc. RESULTS: In 71 cases pulmonary resection was carried out (52 lobectomies, 13 wedge resections and six pulmonectomies). A total of 12 cavities were opened by cavernostomy and one lung biopsy was performed for disseminated lung disease. The post-operative mortality rate was 9.5%. The most common complications were bleeding, empyema, bronchial fistula and wound infection. In 23 patients with developed prolonged air leak and/or residual air space, complications were observed more frequently in patients with greater cavitation near the chest wall. CONCLUSIONS: In most cases of pulmonary aspergilloma surgical intervention remains the only effective therapy. The operation has a lower risk factor in asymptomatic patients and in patients without pleural or chest wall involvement. In some cases, cavernostomy may be the only remaining surgical choice.

Particular aspects and limits of palliation of secondary malignant esophageal strictures.

The value of palliative intubation in the secondary malignant stricture of the thoracic esophagus is discussed. One hundred and eleven patients with secondary involvement of the esophagus due to primary inoperable (in 64) or recurrent bronchial tumor (after lobectomy or pneumonectomy in 34) and mediastinal tumor (in 9) or metastases after mastectomy of breast cancer (in 4) underwent a limited invasive surgical intubation with a personally designed, composite tube in the past 15 years. The distal part of the tube is detachable, which allows insertion of the tube only into the esophagus. The overall hospital mortality was 9.9%. Esophageal perforation and intraabdominal septic complication were never recorded. Nonfatal complication rate was low (5.4%). All survivors have resumed on oral soft diet. By this technique, all attempts of tube insertion were successful, although in 33% of the cases various esophageal axis deviations or tortuosity were present. Reintubation for tube dislodgement was necessary in 7.2% of the patients. Stenotic tracheobronchial invasion, vena cava superior syndrome, bronchial stump fistula as well as cardiac arrhythmias are the main contraindications of the palliative intubation in such cases. In the remaining group of patients with secondary invasion of the esophagus by intrathoracic malignancies, intubation may be considered a unique type of management with acceptable risk.