[Single-stage bilateral video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) in treatment of patients with primary spontaneous pneumothorax].

From January 2003 to April 2006, a total of 6 patients (mean age of 16.7 years) underwent single-stage bilateral VATS for primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP). All 6 patients had at least one episode of pneumothorax, requiring tube thoracostomy.

[Anatomical pulmonary resections via median sternotomy].

During a 10-year period a total of 5 anatomical pulmonary resections (2 lobectomies, 2 pneumonectomies with mediastinal tumor extirpation and 1 polysegmental resection-S1-3) were carried out in 4 patients via median sternotomy. They were operated on for bilateral complicated pulmonary hydatidosis (2), mediastinal teratocarcinoma with right lung invasion and mediastinal Hodgkin's disease after chemotherapy failure. The mean operative time was 161 minutes, and the mean in-hospital stay was 12.

[Contemporary treatment of parapneumonic pleural complication in children: the role of Video - Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS)].

Aim: To reveal the role of Video Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS) in the treatment of different stages of pleural empyema in children.

Clinical Material: Between 2004 and 2006, 87 children aged from 11 months to 18 years were treated at the Department of Thoracic pediatric surgery for parapneumonic pleural complications (pleural empyema). The children were admitted in a period from 5 to 30 days (mean 11.

[Surgical treatment of chronical pulmonary abscesses--contemporary treatment].

Between Jan 1991 and Dec 2000 a total of 67 patients were operated on for chronic primary pulmonary abscesses. They were 57 men and 10 women with mean age of 46.2 (range, 12 to 72) years.

[Surgical treatment of chronic pleural empyema--seven years' experience].

During a 7 years period a total of 112 patients with chronic pleural empyema were operated on. There were 92 male and 20 female with mean age of 48.4 years.

[Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for treatment of pleural empyema].

During 1996-2003 a total of 359 patients were treated for empyema. Forty eight of them (with parapneumonic empyema) were prospectively randomized into 2 groups of 24 patients who underwent early decortication either by thoracotomy or VATS. Comparing to thoracotomy group, VATS group had a significantly shorter chest tube duration (5.

[Diagnosis and surgical treatment of pulmonary sequestration].

Between Jan. 1988 and Jan. 2003 4 patients (3 male, 1 female, mean age of 20 years) were operated on for lung sequestration.

[Corection of pectus excavatum with total sternal turnover].

A case of 23-year-old man with Pectus Excavatum (grade II) is reported on. The functional cardiorespiratory impairment was a leading symptom. The technique of sternal turnover with preservation of a vascular supply based on the internal mammary pedicle is introduced for the first time in Bulgaria.

[Pleural tent after high partial lung resection--prospective randomised research].

Objective: The aim of this study is to assess the role of the pleural tent in prophylactics of prolonged alveolar air leakage and apical residual pleural cavity formation after upper lobectomy/bilobectomy.

Methods: A total of 40 patients, who underwent upper lobectomy/bilobectomy were prospectively randomized into two homogeneous groups: (1) with pleural tent--20 pts and (2) control group without pleural tent--20 pts. The multivariate analyses were used to compare the chest tubes duration, the length of the hospital stay, the mean quantity of postoperative extravasation and the need of additional interventions to treat the persistent postoperative alveolar leak.

[One-stage operation for multi-organ echinococcosis (bilateral pulmonary, hepatic and splenic) by sterno-laparotomy].

Between 1990 and 2001 in Thoracic Surgery Department at SHATPD "Saint Sophia"--Sofia a total of 821 patients with pulmonary hydatidosis were operated on. In 5 (0.6%) of them the cysts were situated in the both lungs, lever and spleen.

[Omentoplasty in surgical management of postpulmonectomy pleural empyema].

A method of treating postpulmonectomy pleural empyema, practically implemented in this country for the first time, is described. Three patients are subjected to operation. Right pulmonectomy for lung cancer and chronic inflammatory process is done twice, and left pleuropulmonectomy for tuberculosis--once.

[The video-assisted thoracoscopic treatment of spontaneous pneumothorax--our experience with 42 patients].

We present our experience with video-assisted thoracoscopic surgical (VATS) treatment of spontaneous pneumothorax (SP) in 42 consecutive patients. We performed 45 video-thoracoscopic procedures during 44 hospitalisations. The most common procedures were: Endo-stapling of bullae in 12 pts, 4 ligations of bullae, 8 suturing of bullae, 27 bleb ablations and catheterizations.