Total respiratory system compliance after thoracoplasty.

Recent attention has been directed towards the deleterious effects of the sequelae of pulmonary tuberculosis on respiratory function. Thus, a study was undertaken to find out to what extent the deformity of thorax after thoracoplasty increases the mechanical work of breathing. Compliance of the total respiratory system (Crs) was measured with a pressure-type body plethysmograph in nine post-thoracoplasty tuberculosis patients, 15 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and three patients with pleural diseases. Mean Crs in nine post-thoracoplasty tuberculosis patients was 0.0861 cmH2O-1, and that in six patients with moderately advanced pulmonary tuberculosis was 0.0841 cmH2O-1. Mean Crs (0.1301 cmH2O-1) in nine patients with a minimum lesion of tuberculosis was not different from the reference Crs values reported to date by several authors. Crs was significantly correlated with vital capacity, but not with functional residual capacity. There was no difference in specific Crs between post-thoracoplasty tuberculosis patients and patients with moderately advanced pulmonary tuberculosis. Crs of patients with a pleural disease was smaller than Crs of patients with a minimal lesion of pulmonary tuberculosis. The deformity of thorax after thoracoplasty caused a decrease of Crs. However, ventilation is not as severely impaired as anticipated from the degree of thorax deformity on chest X-ray film, providing that movement of the diaphragm is unrestricted.