Video-assisted thoracoscopic sterilization for exacerbation of chronic empyema thoracis.

<bold>Study Objective: </bold>To investigate the efficacy of video-assisted thoracoscopic sterilization to treat patients with exacerbation of chronic empyema thoracis.<bold>Design: </bold>Case reports and literature review.<bold>Setting: </bold>Academic department of surgery.<bold>Patients: </bold>Two elderly, debilitated patients with worsening, chronic empyema thoracis as diagnosed by radiographs, CT, and thoracentesis. Both patients had a history of therapeutic pneumothorax for tuberculosis without bronchopleural fistulas.<bold>Interventions: </bold>Video-assisted thoracoscopic sterilization of the thoracic cavity.<bold>Measurements and Results: </bold>There was no recurrence of empyema during a 6-year follow-up period for one patient and a 2.5-year follow-up period for the other patient.<bold>Conclusions: </bold>Video-assisted thoracoscopic sterilization is a minimally invasive useful treatment for elderly or debilitated patients with exacerbation of chronic empyema thoracis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]