ABSTRACT
Pulmonary tuberculosis led to the birth of thoracic surgery. The techniques of pulmonary resection in use today were developed to deal with the persisting problem of tuberculosis (TB) in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. As the incidence of TB declined in developed countries, these techniques were left as a valuable legacy and were available to deal with the next epidemic-lung cancer and the chronic infective complications that resulted from this surgery. Today, however, the management of TB and its sequelae is benefiting from the subsequent development of techniques such as mediastinoscopy, video-assisted thoracic surgery and myoplasty. The severity of symptoms may make surgery necessary for some of the other complications of TB. A persistent cough, productive of large quantities of purulent sputum, may result from bronchiectasis, destroyed lung parenchyma or may be due to a persistent cavity. Surgical management is complex and further complicated by the age and frailty of many patients.
