The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Vol 90, 186-194, Copyright © 1985 by The American Association for Thoracic Surgery and The Western Thoracic Surgical Association
Giant lung abscess treated by tube thoracostomy
L Mengoli
Pulmonary resection is the recommended treatment for large lung abscesses
that do not respond to medical management. Tube thoracostomy, effective in
the past, has been used less and less in recent years. Personal experience
with three patients and a review of the literature led me to the following
conclusions: In the treatment of a lung abscess 8 cm or larger, tube
thoracostomy is an effective form of drainage, is probably safer than
pulmonary resection, and may yield a superior result. Rather than being
reserved as a desperation measure for poor risk patients, tube thoracostomy
should be considered early in the hospital course.