Use of video-assisted thoracoscopy surgery for the treatment of Aspergillus empyema with bronchopleural fistula.

Pulmonary aspergillus empyema with bronchopleural fistula is a rare and severe disease with a poor prognosis. In this report, we describe the successful surgical treatment of this condition in a 34-year-old man who was initially hospitalized due to complications of chronic hepatitis B. While under artificial liver therapy and as a consequence of long-term corticosteroid use, the patient developed invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, which was further complicated by an empyema and a bronchopleural fistula.Video-assisted thoracoscopy surgery was performed following failure of the prescribed antifungal treatment and chest tube drainage, and the empyema resolved completely 3 months postoperatively,with no evidence of recurrence after 5 months' follow-up.