Surgery for Complications and Sequelae of Pulmonary Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis, colloquially recognized as the "malady of indigence," stands as an ancient affliction that has pervaded human history. Its contagious nature was meticulously chronicled by medical luminaries such as Hippocrates and Galen, with archeological evidence revealing its existence in Egyptian mummies from a bygone era, extending over five millennia. The 1980s marked a resurgence of tuberculosis on a global scale, disproportionately impacting low-income nations. The resurgent relevance of surgery in the therapeutic armamentarium against pleuropulmonary tuberculosis and its sequelae has once again become a pertinent subject. The primary aim of our study is to elucidate the management of sequelar and/or complicated pleuropulmonary tuberculosis. Methods: This constituted a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted from January 2012 to August 31, 2023. The study encompassed the collection of data from 157 patients, all of whom had experienced at least one episode of tuberculosis and undergone surgical intervention. Results: The average age of our patients was 36.83 (±13.18) years, ranging from 19 to 60 years. Males predominated, constituting 36.69% of the cohort. Major symptoms included hemoptysis in 56.05% and bronchorrhea in 33.76% of cases. The primary surgical indications were predominantly bronchiectasis (31.84%), aspergilloma (26.75%), and encapsulated pleuritis (15.29%). Postoperative outcomes were uneventful in 82.80% of cases. The average duration of hospitalization was 13.8 days (±2.2). Conclusion: Despite the technical challenges associated with the surgical management of complications and sequelae arising from pleuropulmonary tuberculosis, the outcomes remain promising.