Thoracoscopic Reduction Pneumoplasty for Severe Emphysema: Do Pleural Adhesions Affect Outcome?

Abstract

Background: Pleural adhesions are frequently encountered in patients undergoing reduction pneumoplasty. We evaluated the impact that pleural adhesions had on the surgical technique and outcome of thoracoscopic reduction pneumoplasty. Methods: 59 operated patients were divided into 2 groups depending on the presence (group A) or absence (group B) of pleural adhesions. Results: At inter-group comparison (A versus B) a significant difference was found for mean duration of Operation (128 + 55 min versus 73±33 min; pConclusions: Pleural adhesions may be associated with increased morbidity and less improvement in FEV1 but they do not contraindicate thoracoscopic reduction pneumoplasty.