[Purulent pleurisy at the surgical emergency service: retrospective study of 34 cases at Dakar Teaching Hospital].

The empyema thoracis remain a current pathology in under developed countries. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of empyema thoracis in the Surgical Emergency Unit, to analyze their causes, therapeutic procedures and their results. Between 1997 and 1998, 54 patients were received in urgency for empyema thoracis; 34 of them had a complete and exploitable file. Mean age was 20 years (3 weeks and 83 years) with 64.70% of children (0 to 15 years) and the sex ratio 3.25. Fever (85.70%) and cough (73.52%) were the most frequent symptoms. Twenty nine patients (85.3%) had pleural empyema and 5 a hydropneumothoracic image. Empyemas were related to pneumonia in 11 cases, associated to tuberculosis in 5 cases and were primitive in 18 cases. Bacteriological exam of the pus performed in only 18 patients had revealed a pneumococcus in 4 cases (22.23%) and was negative in 9 cases (50%). Closed chest drainage associated with antibiotics, pleural washing and respiratory kinesitherapy was done in all the cases. The average duration of hospitalisation was 24.56 days (1 to 55 days). Five deaths (14.70%) occurred. Two cases of recurrence were noted requiring a second drainage. Three cases of pachypleuritis had required a thoracotomy for pleural decortication in average time of 6 months. The duration of follow-up was 1 year. For the other 24 patients (70.58%) the evolution was good. Urgent closed chest drainage of empyema thoracis combined with antibiotics, pleural washing and respiratory kinesitherapy allows a good evolution and reduces the risk of pachypleuritis.