Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for thoracic empyema: primarily, or after fibrinolytic therapy failure?

Background: Traditional and modern treatments are proposed for thoracic empyema. The efficacy of video-assisted thocoscopic surgery (VATS) has been studied when the method is applied either as primary treatment for thoracic empyema or after the failure of fibrinolytic therapy.

Methods: Thirty-eight patients treated with VATS for thoracic empyema have been reviewed.