THORACOSCOPY IN THE MANAGEMENT OF EMPYMA IN CHILDREN

Volume: 41 Number: 4 December 1, 2002
  • Coşkun Özcan
  • Ahmet Çelik
  • Güliz Ergün
  • Orkan Ergün
  • Ata Erdener
EN TR

THORACOSCOPY IN THE MANAGEMENT OF EMPYMA IN CHILDREN

Abstract

Treatment with tube thoracostomy may fail in children with fibrinopurulent empyema since there are loculations in pleural cavity and/or the pleural fluid is too dense to be easily drained through a chest tube. Thoracoscopic debridment (TD), recently, has been suggested as an alternative therapy in such patients. This study describes our experience with TD at the fibrinopurulent stage of empyema in children. Fourteen children were treated by TD. The patients were aged between 1 and 7 years (mean, 4 years). Ali children had typical clinical and radiological findings of empyema; 4 also had intraparenchymal cavitations and 3 had pneumothorax. Nine children underwent TD as an initial therapy since there are loculations and/or thick pleural fluid on preoperative radiologic investigations. TD was performed in the remaining 5 patients who had persistent empyema despite an initial tube thoracostomy. At the operation, an endoscope was inserted into the pleural cavity, loculi were disrupted, and gelatinous debris was evacuated. The pleural cavity was irrigated with şaline and a chest tube was placed under direct vision. Clinical improvement was observed at 1 to 4 days (mean, 2 days) postoperatively in ali except one patient. Four patients with intraparenchymal cavitations required prolonged tube thoracostomy (mean 16.5 days, range 11 to 21 days) because of bronchopleural fistula and one of them required a second thoracoscopy while the other required thoracotomy for the closure of the fistula. In the remaining 10 patients, chest tubes were removed at 3 to 5 days (mean, 3.4 days) after TD. There were no pleural thickening or lung collapse on chest radiographs in the follow-up. TD is useful for the evacuation of thick debris and results in rapid clinical improvement in children with fibrinopurulent empyema. However, chest tube drainage may prolonge and a second surgical intervention may be required because of bronchopleural fistulas in patients with intraparenchymal cavitations.

Keywords

Details

Primary Language

Turkish

Subjects

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Journal Section

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Authors

Coşkun Özcan

Ahmet Çelik

Güliz Ergün

Orkan Ergün

Ata Erdener

Publication Date

December 1, 2002

Submission Date

December 1, 2002

Acceptance Date

-

Published in Issue

Year 2002 Volume: 41 Number: 4

Vancouver
1.Coşkun Özcan, Ahmet Çelik, Güliz Ergün, Orkan Ergün, Ata Erdener. ÇOCUKLARDA AMPİYEMİN TORAKOSKOPİK TEDAVİSİ. EJM [Internet]. 2002 Dec. 1;41(4):219-24. Available from: https://izlik.org/JA65DD29DW

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