Thoracoplasty was invented for removing cavities between thoracic wall and remnant lung or mediastinum. It was initially used in cases of tuberculosis or unspecific infections, while currently it is used mainly for space problems after lobectomy/pneumonectomy.This article presents an overview of the historical and current techniques of this surgical procedure.Nowadays, thoracoplasty is rarely performed due to the low incidence of diseases for which this method is necessary. Therefore, this method has even been discredited. Furthermore, certain technical aspects of the thoracoplasty are not very well known because of the infrequent application of this procedure.Unfortunately, a look into the literature of thoracoplasty is not always usefull due to the biased views of advocates of different techniques such as Schede's thoracoplasty, Heller's Jalousie-Plastik, Alexander's extramusculoperiosteal thoracoplasty, Bjork's osteoplastic thoracoplasty, etc.Not to forget, there has always been a lack of research on the relevance and on the several techniques of thoracoplasty.The point is precise indication and correct execution of thoracoplasty as a final therapeutic option, which allows a safe and definitive solution of the space problem even in complex cases, without creating serious functional and cosmetic impairment for the patient.The main types of thoracoplasty are described in this article. Although the core principle of this operation remains unchanged, modern techniques are often cosmetically more considerable and less destructive, compared with techniques that were used in the past.

To analyze surgical treatment of tuberculous pleural empyema in children depending on the stage of the process. There were 82 patients aged 4-17 years with tuberculous pleural empyema. Clinical and X-ray features of different stages of disease are described. Certain types of surgical interventions at each stage of the process are analyzed. In 72 children with empyema stage III 76 surgeries were performed. Postoperative complications occurred in 2 (2.6%) cases (delayed lung inflation) that required thoracocentesis with pleural drainage. There was no postoperative mortality. Complex treatment of tuberculous pleural empyema in children and adolescents with the use of modern surgical methods is followed by satisfactory outcomes in all patients. However, surgical technique, postoperative morbidity and hospital-stay depend on the stage of the process. Unfortunately, almost 90% of patients had empyema stage III. Therefore, minimally invasive surgery was not advisable and extensive, traumatic surgeries were required.

Objectives. The aim of the study was to investigate the cause of death of tuberculosis patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Many researchers and experts note the urgency of the problem of tuberculosis combined with HIV infection in the world and in Russia. One of the main criteria for assessing the effectiveness of medical care for tuberculosis patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus is the mortality rate.Materials and methods. For a detailed study of the causes of death of patients with tuberculosis in combination with HIV infection, we analyzed the causes of death of this contingent of patients in 5 regions of the Russian Federation.Results. The social characteristics of patients, the forms and course of the disease, the main and immediate causes of death of 223 patients with co-infection with HIV and tuberculosis were studied.Conclusion. Half of the deaths of tuberculosis patients infected with human im­munodeficiency virus were not associated with tuberculosis. Among these cases, there was either the presence of several infections at the same time, equally leading to death, or separate opportunistic infections (candidiasis, Pneumocystis pneumonia, toxoplasmosis), or cancer. In addition, the lifestyle of patients often became the cause of deaths, namely: drug poisoning and accidents, or cirrhosis of the liver, which develops as a result of alcoholism or hepatitis C infection which occurred during intravenous administration of drugs.

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The literature data of 18 authors about surgical treatment of 1723 patients with recurrent tuberculosis are presented in the article. Also authors reported their own experience in repeated lung resection in 50 patients. Intraoperative complications were observed in 7 patients including empyema cavity dissection in 2 cases, scalping lung injury in 2 cases, peristump abscess dissection in 1 case, v. azygas injury in 1 patient and rupture of membranous part of trachea due to swollen cuff of intubation tube in 1 case. In postoperative period complications developed in 5 patients including early intrapleural bleeding in 1 case, later intrapleural bleeding in 1 case, empyema with bronchial fistula in 1 patient, residual pleural cavity in 1 patient and wound complication in 1 case. All postoperative complications were eliminated and there was no postoperative mortality. The authors concluded that although severe patients' condition, technical complexity and higher surgical risk of repeated resections compared with organ-preserving and collapsosurgical interventions satisfactory remote results and high proportion of labour rehabilitation earnestly prove advantages of repeated lung resections for recurrent tuberculosis of operated lung.

Pulmonary diseases caused by nontuberculous mycobacteria are increasingly becoming common worldwide and are occurring more frequently alongside pulmonary tuberculosis. Given that pulmonary diseases resulting from nontuberculous mycobacteria and pulmonary tuberculosis display similar features—such as clinical manifestations, imaging findings, and laboratory results—the accurate differentiation of each disease type is highly challenging. Mycobacterial culture, as a gold standard method, cannot be considered completely trustworthy because of low bacterioexcretion rates among nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary patients. Additional problems result from poor diagnosis. The treatment of lung diseases caused by nontuberculous mycobacteria is also difficult. This could be due to the wide spectrum of bacteria belonging to nontuberculous mycobacteria, as well as low bacterioexcretion. Therefore, bacterial sensitivity to drugs is insufficient. As a result, in this article, our intention is to explain the diagnostic difficulties of pulmonary diseases caused by nontuberculous mycobacteria and the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. The review seeks to outline promising directions for the development of novel diagnostic approaches in order to improve clinical decision-making and ultimately treatment outcomes.