Surgical treatment of war posttraumatic pleural empyemas

Posttraumatic pleural empyema is the most frequent septic complication of the thoracic penetrating war injuries. Surgical treatment used to be based on the experience gained in the treatment of parapneumonic empyema, the most frequent empyema, and used to be favored the pleural drainage until the nineties of the last century. Thoracotomy and decortication was performed in case of drainage failure, in early chronic phase, 4-6 weeks after injury. The aim of this study was to emphasize the necessity of different surgical approaches in the treatment of this disease which is based on the different pathophisyology of posttraumatic and other sorts of empyema. Also, to recommend on the basis of the surgical treatment results, early decortication as better method in the treatment of this septic complication.