Staple dysfunction due to calcification of the pulmonary parenchyma

A 77-year-old man who had been treated right pneumothorax by chest tube drainage 2 times visited our hospital due to dyspnea. He had been treated by home oxygen therapy due to pulmonary silicosis. Chest radiography showed a relapse of right pneumothorax. Video-assisted thoracic surgery was performed and the air leakage point was identified at bullae both of the upper and lower lobe of the lung. When we performed to staple and to resect bullae of the upper lobe, staple dysfunction happened to occur. Hard nodule in the pulmonary parenchyma was noted by palpation. Since intrapulmonary calcification of the upper lobe was shown by thoracic computed tomography (CT) prior surgery, the calcified lesion thought to be a cause of the staple dysfunction.