Clinical evaluation was made on re-expansion, vital capacity and o_2-consumption of the lungs following decortication in 8 cases of chronic empyema.
Before decortication of the lumgs, o_2-consumption of the affected lungs was markedly decreased to average 14.13% without relation to the amount of volume of the functioning lumg. On the contrary, o_2-consumption of the lungs on healthy side was average 84.87%, which was 5.5 times of function of the affected side.
Thie vital capacity was increased to average 24.06% in 4 weeks after decortication.
O_2-consumption was decreased to average 20.2% on the healthy side, and increased to average 20.2% on the affected side in 4 weeks after decortication, comparing with preoperative capacity. In another wards, O_2-consumption of the healthy side became to times of 1.8 that of the affected, instead of 5.5 times, in 4 weeks following decortication. A good recovery of O_2-consumption on the affected side is determined by the data that a ratio of O_2-consumption between the healthy and affected sides is a near 1:1.
Decortication of the lungs for 8 cases of chronic empyema resulted in complete cure of empyema and good recovery of pulmonary respiratory function.
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