[Ways of increasing the effectiveness of surgical treatment of patients with chronic empyema].

A dynamic morphologic examination and surgical treatment analysis in connection with 184 patients with chronic empyema of the chest appeared to be the basis to refer to it as an independent form of pleuropulmonary pathology with a typical undulatory clinical course and morphologic picture. The disease is evolving progressively, with predominant hyperplastic processes in the changed pleura leaves at the initial, and as a rule lengthy stage in relation to a stable course, accompanied by subsequent aggravation and easing of the process in addition to the development of complications. Depending on the clinical course stage, a surgical treatment tactics is elaborated together with the use of different surgical methods. The application of surgical intervention of a restorative nature at early stages of the disease is stipulated, since it gains good results and prevents the development of serious, hardly curable forms.