Pulmonary Infarction due to Chronic Pulmonary Thromboembolism: Surgical Experience of One Case / 대한흉부외과학회지

ABSTRACT

Infarction of the lung usually results from pulmonary arterial obstruction. Pulmonary infarcts often become infected from bronchial contamination and may become lung abscesses, empyema, or bronchopleural fistula causing sepsis. Diagnosis is important for intensive therapy, since infection is prone to spread. Resection of the infarcted lung should be considered early in an attempt to control infection. A sixty-seven-year-old man was hospitalized with dyspnea. A computed tomographic scan of the chest showed left lower lobe infiltration and mild pleural effusion with pleural thickening. There was a thrombus in the left pulmonary artery leading from the lower lobe to the upper lobe artery. At operation, the left lower lobe was found to have complete hemorrhagic infarction. The left lower lobectomy was performed. The remaining thrombus was removed after the left main pulmonary arteriotomy. He has been followed up for 15 months and has done well with no recurrence of thrombus and infarction of the lung.