[Possibilities of thoracoscopy in the diagnosis and treatment of complications after thoracotomy].

Reoperations were fulfilled on 71 patients (2.73%) after 2576 thoracotomies for diseases and injuries of the chest, rethoracotomies were fulfilled on 34 patients, in 37 patients the interventions were fulfilled endoscopically. The indication for thoracoscopy were continuing intrapleural bleeding, fragmented pleurisy due to pleural empyema, not arrested chylothorax, foreign body (drainage tube). Nine patients died (24.3%). Lethality was one third less as compared with rethoracotomy.