[Delayed complications after extrapleural pneumonolysis for lung tuberculosis].

The epidemic spread of tuberculosis after World War II and the deficiency of appropriate antituberculotic drugs led to a renaissance of surgical procedure such as plombage thoracoplasty, initiated in 1891 by Tuffier. Especially in Germany the insertion of paraffin and polyethylene was used in order to achieve an extrapleural pneumothorax in order to collapse the tuberculous cavities in the upper lobes. Due to a high rate of early complications and the assumed cancerogenicity, in a considerable number of cases the material was removed soon after its deployment. In some cases with the filling remaining in place, 30-40 years later infections and/or neoplasms occurred. From 1985 to 1996 in two centers of thoracic surgery 13 patients underwent procedures for removal of filling material. The patients suffered from infections (n = 11), malignant lymphoma associated with infection of the plombage (n = 1) and bronchial carcinoma (n = 1). Technically, we performed the thoracoplasty described by Schede (n = 9). Schede's thoracoplasty in combination with a muscle flap repair (n = 1) or partial resection of the thoracic wall (n = 1), an empyemectomy (n = 1), and an en-bloc pleuropneumonectomy (n = 1). All patients suffered from multiple underlying diseases (COPD, coronary heart disease, diabetes mellitus). However, apart from beside two procedure related deaths (pulmonary embolism n = 1, pneumonia complicated by multi-organ failure n = 1) no other major complications were observed. The plombage material in the case of malignant lymphoma is probably carcinogenic in relation to the time of exposure and should be removed in all cases.