Despite modern diagnostic methods and appropriate treatment, pleural empyema remains a serious problem. Our purpose was to assess the feasibility and efficacy of the video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery in the management of nontuberculous fibrinopurulent pleural empyema after chest tube drainage treatment had failed to achieve the proper results.
Department of Thoracic Surgery and Endoscopy, Ruhrlandklinik, Essen, Germany, and the Department of Medical Radiology, Zurich University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland.