Clinical and surgical analysis of lobectomy for destroyed lobe of the lung: A series of 47 patients.

Objective: Destroyed lobe of the lung is always secondary to chronic or recurrent lung infections with irreversible damage of pulmonary parenchyma. In this study, we analyzed surgical technique, post-operative complications, mortality, and long-term outcomes of patients undergoing lobectomy of pulmonary lobe destruction.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective study of 47 patients that underwent lobectomy due to a destroyed lung parenchyma between January 2010 and December 2019 were reviewed with an average follow-up period of 39 months.

Results: The study included 47 patients with a mean age of 39.4 years. The etiology of lobe destroyed was tuberculosis in 15 (31.9%), non-tuberculosis bronchiectasis in 20 (42.5%), aspergilloma in 09 (19.1%), hydatid cyst in 2 (4.3%), and a mis-diagnosed intrabronchic foreign body in 1 (2.1%). Surgical approach was through posterolateral thoracotomy in 44 (93.6%) patients and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery in only 3 patients. Mean operative time was 153 min and mean post-operative hospital stay was 7.9 days. The post-operative complications occurred in five (10.6%): atelectasis (n  =  2), wound site infection (n = 1), prolonged air leak (n = 1), and hemothorax in one case. No post-operative mortality was noted. A good clinical result was observed in 87.2% of cases.

Conclusion: Surgical treatment of destroyed lobe is a high risk associated surgery. Tuberculosis and aspergilloma are the most common etiologies. Favorable result was obtained in selected patient with an excellent perioperative care.