Fistulopleurography

Fistulopleurography is a method for diagnosing diseases of the lungs and pleura. This method is based on the injection of a contrast agent into the fistula, or cavity that forms between the lungs and the pleura. X-rays can then be used to see how the contrast agent is distributed throughout the lungs and pleura.

Fistulopleurography can be used to diagnose various lung diseases, such as tuberculosis, lung cancer, pneumonia and others. This method can also help determine the location of a tumor or other formation in the lungs.

To perform fistulopleurography, it is necessary to make a small incision in the lung or pleura to inject a contrast agent. After this, the patient should be in a supine or lateral decubitus position to ensure even distribution of the contrast agent throughout the lungs and pleura. A series of x-rays are then taken to show how the contrast is distributed throughout the lungs and pleural cavity.

After fistulopleurography, the patient may experience some discomfort associated with the introduction of contrast into the lung or pleural cavity. However, this discomfort usually goes away within a few hours.

Fistulo-pleurograph for remote monitoring of the formation of fistulas in the pleural cavity (Fistulopletbogram)

For the purpose of diagnosis and surgical treatment (with the goal of closing the fistula as quickly as possible) of the formation of postoperative fistulas, various studies are used, including radiation diagnostics, microscopy, and cytological methods. Depending on the size of the area under study and the period after surgery, the study is performed using a more invasive method - fistuloglissography or precision fistulotesterragnea using a fistulotrachedograph. In the case of large fistula tracts, it is recommended to take multiple radiographs with a contrast agent: blood cyst, acetazolamide in order to detect a dense counterhegestant, which will allow the precise localization of the fistulogram to be established and targeted application therapy for the fistula to begin. If the swish is incomplete or very narrow, the diagnosis can only be made using computed tomography or MRI. This may be a forced diagnosis when other studies have not revealed a fistula or when it is not possible to use a navigation method to control the position of the instrument, for example when there are many other scars on the body surface that require the use of navigation. Videophlebography allows you to visually determine the condition of surgical sutures, the quality of which negatively affects the healing time of a postoperative scar, including fistulas. However, with this study it is not always possible to visually assess the complete closure of the fistula tract.

The study can be carried out by puncture of the pleura or by trephination of the chest wall, followed by suction of the contents of the pleural space and administration of a contrast agent. When a contrast agent is introduced into the chest cavity, the fistula tract is filled as a network of capillaries; due to specific pressure (2-4 mm Hg), this leads to the restoration of the patency of its channels.