Decortication with uniport video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for empyema due to postoperative esophageal leakage: a report of two pediatric cases

Background: Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is considered useful for the treatment of parapneumonic empyema in children. However, thoracoscopic management of empyema due to esophageal leakage as an operative complication has not been well described in the literature.

Case presentation: We successfully decorticated severe empyema using uniport VATS in 2 children (a 2-year-old boy who suffered esophageal perforation after laparoscopic anti-reflux surgery, and a 7-month-old girl who had anastomotic leakage after thoracoscopic repair of esophageal atresia). In these patients, we noticed that pleural effusion rapidly progressed to empyema and caused respiratory insufficiency due to wide-range coverage by fibrotic pleural rind that was successfully decorticated under video-assisted vision from a mini-thoracotomy, followed by spontaneous healing of the leakage.

Conclusions: We did not attempt to closely approach or try to repair the esophageal leakage. We believe that this is an important tip for these situations.