Objective: Although surgery has proven to be the best treatment for pulmonary aspergillosis, with the highest chance of achieving complete remission, it is difficult to determine the surgical indications for this disease because of the high incidence of postoperative complications. We conducted this study to identify some predictors of postoperative complications, in an attempt to reduce the morbidity rate.
Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 31 patients (18 men, 13 women; median age 53 years) who underwent radical resection for pulmonary aspergillosis between 1976 and 2004. The clinical manifestations, surgical procedures, and postoperative complications were reviewed to clarify the predictors of postoperative complications.
Results: The morbidity rate associated with major complications such as intrapleural bleeding, bronchopleural fistula, and empyema, resulting in further surgery, was 19%. Univariate analysis revealed the predictors of major complications to be sex, severe preoperative symptoms, and extensive pulmonary resection. Multivariate analyses also indicated that preoperative symptom severity was an independent predictor of major complications.
Conclusions: Pulmonary aspergillosis should be resected before the symptoms become too severe if the patient is a surgical candidate.