Surgical occlusion of leaking bronchus by a serratus anterior flap in a child with langerhans cell histiocytosis

Abstract

Langerhans cell histiocytosis is an uncommon disease of childhood. Intrathoracic transposition flaps have been described for a management of number of conditions. We discuss our experience of the use of serratus anterior flap for the obliteration of a pulmonary bulla with a communicating airway, in a 1½-year-old pediatric patient with multisystem Langerhans cell histiocytosis who presented with recurrent pneumothorax with empyema due to rupture of bullae.

Keywords

• bronchopleural fistula
• emphysematous bullae
• langerhans cell histiocytosis
• pneumothorax
• serratus anterior flap