Quantitative perfusion lung scanning coupled with spirometry and balloon occlusion of the pulmonary artery supplying the lung to be resected have been used to predict the potential operability of patients being considered for pneumonectomy. These techniques were adapted for the lobar level prior to performing a right upper lobectomy in a 59-year-old man who had undergone a left pneumonectomy 20...

Postpneumonectomy syndrome (PPS) is a rare late complication of pneumonectomy. It occurs more often in children than in adults, and is characterized by respiratory failure resulting from bronchial compression caused by severe mediastinal shift. Various methods have been used to treat PPS, including aortopexy and the insertion of plastic balls, silastic implants, and saline-filled breast prosthe...

A 48-year-old woman with cystic fibrosis and a previous left pneumonectomy had surgery planned for single lung transplantation under general anesthesia. Due to progressive dyspnea and recurrent respiratory infection, she could not maintain her normal daily life without lung transplantation. The anesthetic management and surgical procedure was expected to be difficult because of the left mediast...