Spirometry evaluation in patient with tuberculosis sequelae treated by lobectomy.

Objective: To evaluate pre and post-operative spirometry in patients with tuberculosis sequelae undergoing lobectomy.

Methods: We selected 20 patients, aged between 15 and 56 years, of both genders, with a history of tuberculosis treatment, with repeated infections or hemoptysis and indication of pulmonary lobectomy. The tuberculosis treatment time was six months, and onset of symptoms, between one and 32. We evaluated and compared vital capacity (VC), forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume (FEV1), the FEV1/FVC, forced expiratory flow (FEF) and peak expiratory flow (PEF) preoperatively and after the first, third and sixth postoperative months (POM). The significance level (á) used in all tests was 5%, ie, it was considered significant when p <0.05.

Results: The averages found were: Vital Capacity (VC) - Preoperative: 2.83; 1st POM: 2.12; 3rd POM: 2.31; 6th POM: 2.43. Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) - Preoperative: 2.97; 1st POM: 2.21; 3rd POM: 2.35; 6th POM: 2.53. Expiratory Volume in 1 second (FEV1) - Preoperative: 2.23; 1st POM: 1.75; 3rd POM: 1.81; 6th POM 1.97. There was marked decrease in lung function in the first month after surgery, but there was an improvement of the parameters from the third month, with gradual increase up to the sixth month.

Conclusion: There was no recovery of preoperative spirometric parameters at six months postoperatively in patients with sequelae of tuberculosis submitted to lobectomy.