The purpose decortication is to eliminate the infection focus and to improve the decreased lung function due to chronic empyema. However, lung function is not improved in all cases. It would be clinically useful it we could predict preoperatively whether lung function would improve after decortication. The purpose of this study is to find useful indices for predicting the possible improvement of lung function after decortication.

The medical records of 37 tuberculous empyema patients who underwent pleural decortication were analyzed retrospectively from 1990 to 1996. The measurements of preoperative and postoperative forced vital capacity(FVC) were used for evaluating the effects of decortication.

The sex ratio was 29 : 8 (male to female), and the median age was 34 years. The time interval between the formation of empyema and operation was 1 month to 30 years. Postoperative pulmonary function test was performed 5.4±2.6 months later. FVC(forced vital capacity) was significantly increased from 2.77±0.67(L) to 2.95±0.81(L). Interestingly, postoperative pulmonary function was significantly improved in patients who were less than 40 years old, within 4 months after diagnosis of tuberculous empyema, in the group with FVC of less than 60% of the predicted value and in the absence of calcification.

The improvement of lung function after decortication was expected in patients younger than 40 years old, within 4 months after diagnosis of tuberculous empyema, in the group having less than 60% of the predicted FVC, without calcification.