Objectives: Bronchpleural fistula (BPF) after pneumonectomy is a serious complication, occurring in 1-15% of the cases. Study aim was to evaluate the incidence of BPFs between hand sutured and stapled bronchus closure. Methods: Hospital records of 549 consecutive pneumonectomy patients were reviewed retrospectively. The bronchial stump was closed in 510 patients using a uniform interrupted hand...

A 56-y-old woman with a history of non–small cell lung cancer presented with a persistent left pneumothorax and a left bronchopleural fistula after bronchial balloon occlusion. A ventilation–perfusion scan using 133Xe and 99mTc-macroaggregated albumin (MAA) was requested to evaluate for possible lung reduction surgery. With 428.46 MBq (11.58 mCi) of 133Xe gas, ventilation images were acquired i...