Surgical treatment of non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis in Brazilian children

To determine the clinical characteristics of patients submitted to surgical treatment for non-cystic fibrosis (CF) bronchiectasis, the indications for surgery, and the results obtained at a referral facility for pediatric thoracic surgery. Between January 1998 and December 2009, we retrospectively reviewed the medical charts of 109 pediatric patients with non-CF bronchiectasis who underwent surgical treatment. These findings were subsequently analyzed by focusing on postoperative complications and long-term results. Of the 109 patients undergoing pulmonary resection, the mean age was 7.6 years (ranging from 1 to 15.5 y-o) with male predominance (59 %). The most common procedure was segmentectomy (43 %) followed by left lower lobectomy (38 %). Minor postoperative complications occurred in 36 % of the patients; the most common was transient atelectasis (26 %), followed by air leak (6 %), and postoperative pain (4 %). There was one death within the 30-day postoperative period, but it was unrelated to the procedure. Eighty-three children were followed after discharge, with a mean follow-up period of 667 days. Sixty-five (76 %) patients showed improvement of clinical symptoms after surgery. Lung resection for the treatment of non-CF bronchiectasis in children is a safe procedure, with no life-treating morbidity and low mortality. This procedure also leads to significant improvements in symptoms and quality of life.