Surgical treatment of destructive pulmonary tuberculosis

Total pneumonectomy combined with thoracoplasty should be applied to tuberculosis-destructed lungs unresponsive to anti-TB treatment, of which the clinical symptoms are evident and both the maximum ventilation and vital capacity are 50% of the estimated values, and in which no organic disorders of the heart are found on examination. But for those below the age of 18, or with the left lung destructed alone, obvious left deviation of the mediastinum, relatively smaller residual cavity on the left side and negative sputum, simple total pneumonectomy should be considered. Postoperative care to improve the resistance of the respiratory system and to prevent recurrent infection is of significance to better long-term response.