Surgical management of pulmonary aspergilloma: clinical experience with 77 cases.

BACKGROUND/AIM This retrospective study evaluated the clinical presentation, underlying lung disease, surgical indications, technique, treatment outcomes, and postoperative complications of pulmonary aspergilloma. MATERIALS AND METHODS We evaluated 77 patients who underwent pulmonary resection of an aspergilloma at Atatürk Chest Diseases and Thoracic Surgery Research and Training Hospital between January 2000 and December 2013. The initial operations were 4 pneumonectomies, 24 lobectomies, 9 lobectomy plus myoplasties, 10 segmental resections, and 30 wedge resections. Six reoperations were carried out to deal with postoperative complications: 1 myoplasty, 2 completion lobectomies plus myoplasties, 2 myoplasties with rib resections, and 1 completion lobectomy. RESULTS The subjects comprised 53 males (mean age: 44.26 (range: 10-73) years) and 24 females (mean age: 48.25 (range: 26-70) years). The most common indication for surgery was hemoptysis in 52 patients (67.53%). The most common underlying lung disease was tuberculosis in 37 patients (48.05%). Forty patients (51.94%) had a simple pulmonary aspergilloma and 37 (48.05%) had a complex pulmonary aspergilloma. Major complications occurred in 18 patients (23.37%). The postoperative mortality rate was 3.89%, with 3 patients dying. CONCLUSION Surgical resection of pulmonary aspergilloma is the best way to prevent recurrent hemoptysis with low morbidity and mortality.