Torsion of the middle lobe after right upper lobectomy: a case report

Following right upper lobectomy for a pulmonary carcinoma, torsion of right middle lobe occurred. There have been few reports in the literature of pulmonary torsion after lobectomy. A 68-year-old man had a right upper lobectomy for pulmonary carcinoma. On the seventh day after right upper lobectomy, he got high fever. At the same time a roentgenogram of the chest showed complete opacification like ground-glass in the upper lung field. Gradually the opacification increased and hemosputum also appeared. Bronchoscopy revealed 90-degree torsion of the middle lobe. In the treatment with respirator (CV 2000), his clinical conditions improved.