Abstract: Objective To study the experience of surgical treatment for unilateral destroyed lung.Methods From 1982 to 1998 we performed pleuropneumonectomy to treat 38 cases of unilateral destroyed lung.Results The quantity of operative hemorrhage was 800ml to 7?200ml,over 1?000ml was in 27(71.0%),over 3?000ml was in 13(34.2%). There was a cure rate of 97.4%, a mortality of 2.6%, and an incidence of postoperative complication of 7.9%. Conclusion Pleuropneumonectomy on these cases was very difficult. The main difficulty was dissection of the lung and handling of the hilum. There was loss of a great deal of blood. the incidence of postoperative complication was high. It should be strict to handle the operative indication. Circulation monitoring at operation and meticulous operative procedure were most important. Prevention of intrathoracic infection was of significance.

Key words: Destroyed lung, Pleuropneumonectomy