Minimally invasive surgical treatment of patients with bilateral pulmonary tuberculosis complicated with pleural empyema

Objective of our study was to increase the effectiveness of surgical treatment of bilateral destructive pulmonary tuberculosis complicated by pleural empyema by using VTS-technologies. The study was done in Dnepropetrovsk regional clinical therapeutic and prophylactic association "Phthisiology" in the period from 2008 to 2013. A retrospective analysis of 43 cases of bilateral destructive pulmonary tuberculosis complicated by pleural empyema on one side and dissemination focus or limited destructive process on contralateral side has been performed. Selected cases were divided into 2 groups: main (eighteen cases where the following procedures were done: performed transsternal occlusion of the main bronchus, sanation of empyema cavity using videothoracosopy, in 30-45 days followed by pleuropneumectomy with usage of minithoracothomy) and control (nineteen cases who had undergone drainage of the empyema cavity, sanation, in 45-60 days followed by pleuropmeumectomy with usage of anterolateral access). The distribution of main and control groups for analyzed parameters was representative. Sanation of pleural cavity with videothoracosopy usage compared with Bulau’s drainage provides better antibacterial effect, effective sanitation of the pleural cavity as evidenced by following changes: significant decrease in the number of microbial cells; normalization of total white blood cells count and rod-shaped granulocytes in the peripheral blood 10 days after treatment; normalization of leukocyte intoxication index. The use of minimally invasive surgical treatment allowed to reduce intraoperative complications by 2 times, amount of intraoperative blood loss and hemotrasfusions by 1.5 times, postoperative mortality by 2.5 times. Pleural cavity sanation with videothoracoscopy usage with following pneumoectomy leads to reduce in the incidence and severity of postoperative complications. The most promising is stage-by-stage surgical approach with consecutive use of previous transsternal occlusion of the main bronchus and pulmonary artery branch with videothoracoscopy sanation of empyema cavity.