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.