A Novel Procedure Using a Tissue Expander for Management of Persistent Alveolar Fistula After Lobectomy

We treated a patient with postlobectomy persistent alveolar fistula using a tissue expander, which is a prosthesis widely used in plastic surgery. The patient had thoracic empyema develop after right bilobectomy for lung cancer, and consequently underwent drainage of empyema followed by muscle flap closure for alveolar fistula. A residual space remained, and air leak persisted. However, implanting and expanding a tissue expander enabled us to tightly fix the flap on the raw pulmonary surface, which eventually solved the air leak. The tissue expander greatly contributed to muscle flap closure for a persistent alveolar-pleural fistula with a large remaining thoracic space.