Results
In the examined period, four patients, aged 16 to 25 years, underwent surgical procedures for TALS, including thoracostomy tube placement, thoracoscopic pleurodesis and thoracotomy. All the patients had been diagnosed with pGvHD before the onset of TALS, with a mean time lapse of 276 days (range 42 – 513). These patients experienced on average 4.5 air leak episodes (range 3 – 6). All the patients experienced at least two episodes before surgery.
One patient underwent emergency tube thoracostomy only, three patients underwent thoracoscopic pleurodesis and two patients underwent thoracotomy.
After surgery, patients were free from air leak symptoms for a mean time of 176 days (range 25 – 477). Pulmonary function progressively deteriorated, and all the patients eventually died because of respiratory failure after a mean time of 483 days (range 127 – 1045) after the first episode of air leak.