Abstract

Background
：Pneumonectomy has been known with higher rate of morbidity and mortality. Thereby, we evaluated patients who received pneumonectomy for lung cancer and infectious lung disease related to postoperative morbidity and mortality. Materials and methods：The retrospective study was undertaken in 55 patients who had undergone pneumonectomy at Yeungnam University Hospital from January 1996 to December 2004. We devided into two groups, lung cancer group (group A, n=40) and infectious lung disease group (group B, n=15) and then compared and analyzed.
Results
：The mean age was higher in group A and there was statistical significance (60.8 9.4 vs 45.7 12.1, p<0.001). With preoperative pulmonary function test, FEV1, FVC were higher in group A and there were statistical significane (p<0.001, p=0.006). With preoperative lung perfusion scan, the perfusion ratio of affected lung and postoperative predicted FEV1 were higher in group A and there were statistical significance (p<0.001, p=0.007). According to MRC dyspnea scale, change of respiratory difficulty of group A had statistical significance (p<0.001). There were a total 20 postoperative complications (36.4%) of which arrhythmia 7, postoperative bleeding 5, empyema and/or bronchopleural fistula 3, pneumonia 2, adult respiratory distress syndrome 1, vocal cord palsy 1. The postoperative complication rate was no difference between two groups (37.5% vs 33.3%) but arrhythmia developed in group A only. There were 3 postoperative mortalities, all in group A.
Conclusion
：Preoperative pulmonary function test and postoperative predicted FEV1 were lower in group B, however, postoperative complication rate was no difference between two groups and mortality developed in group A only. Because of lesser resected lung volume and well adopted in long term diseased period, there was lesser hemodynamic change in infectious lung disease. So postoperative mortality not developed in infectious lung disease group due to arrhythmia and respiratory failure.

• Keywords: Pneumonectomy, Cancer, Inflammatory lung disease;