Contralateral Pulmonary Resection after Pneumonectomy.

Background

Contralateral pulmonary resection after pneumonectomy presents considerable challenges, and few reports in the literature have described this procedure.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of all patients who underwent contralateral lung resection following pneumonectomy for any reason at our institution between November 1994 and December 2020.

Results

Thirteen patients (9 men and 4 women) were included in this study. The median age was 57 years (range, 35-77 years), and the median preoperative forced expiratory volume in 1 second was 1.64 L (range, 1.17-2.12 L). Contralateral pulmonary resection was performed at a median interval of 44 months after pneumonectomy (range, 6-564 months). Surgical procedures varied among the patients: 10 underwent single wedge resection, 2 were treated with double wedge resection, and 1 underwent lobectomy. Diagnoses at the time of contralateral lung resection included lung cancer in 7 patients, lung metastasis from other cancers in 3 patients, and tuberculosis in 3 patients. Complications were observed in 4 patients (36%), including acute kidney injury, pneumothorax following chest tube removal, pneumonia, and prolonged air leak. No cases of operative mortality were noted.

Conclusion

In carefully selected patients, contralateral pulmonary resection after pneumonectomy can be accomplished with acceptable operative morbidity and mortality.