Iatrogenic Bronchopleural Fistula

A bronchopleural fistula (BPF) is a communication between the pleural space and the bronchial tree or the lung parenchyma. Despite being a rare entity, a BPF may carry a high mortality rate. Symptoms of BPF are often nonspecific and subtle, so a high index of clinical suspicion is essential for its correct diagnosis, with imaging playing an extremely important role both in the diagnosis and in the selection of the most appropriate therapeutic approach for each patient. This paper reports a case of a 60-year-old male admitted to the hospital for an etiological investigation of a unilateral pleural effusion. The patient underwent several procedures, among them a video-assisted thoracic surgery, complicated by a peripheral BPF. Therapeutic approach for BPFs must be adapted to each particular case. In this patient, a conservative approach proved to be effective. Meanwhile, the patient was diagnosed with pleural tuberculosis, being discharged on antibacillary medication and while improving BPF’s manifestations.