Abstract
There is renewed interest in the use of adjuvant surgical resection in the treatment
of pulmonary mycobacterial disease. For pulmonary Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the emergence of significant drug resistance has led clinicians to reconsider surgery
in select cases, where a clear benefit in bacterial conversion and cure has been noted.
Less data exist for the use of anatomic resection in the setting of pulmonary nontuberculous
mycobacterial disease, although multiple reports have supported the use of surgery
in select cases. Resection is generally well tolerated, and may often be performed
through a minimally invasive approach. While medical treatment clearly remains the
mainstay of therapy, more research is needed regarding the use of adjuvant resection
in this patient population.
Keywords
drug-resistant tuberculosis - pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial disease - thoracic
surgery - thoracoscopic surgery - bronchiectasis - cavitary lung disease
