Pediatric thoracoscopic decortication: report of the first case operated in Honduras

Abstract

Background: Empyema is a rare but serious complication of community-acquired pneumonia that is associated with prolonged hospitalization and that sometimes warrants a surgical intervention. Historically the empyema in our country in the pediatrics area has been managed through a thoracotomy with decortication. Clinical case description: We report a 4-year-old male patient admitted to the Honduran Social Security Institute at the Hospital of Specialties, Tegucigalpa; on November 29, 2017 with right pleural empyema that did not respond to antibiotics and chest tube. For this reason, on December 12, 2017, a thoracoscopic decortication was performed without problems. Discharging him on December 18, 2017. In his outpatient check-ups he had an excellent clinical radiological, and pulmonary function tests response. Conclusion: traditionally, patients with pleural empyema who did not respond to the conservative management of antibiotics and chest tube undergo an open thoracotomy with decortication. For two decades the gold standard has been fibrinolytic agents and / or minimally invasive surgery, which is why we report the first pediatric case resolved in our country with thoracoscopic decortication.