[Value of the test of unilateral pulmonary artery blocking in the preoperative evaluation of bronchial cancer].

Results of the test of unilateral blockage of a pulmonary artery (UBPAT) were compared with those of respiratory function tests in the pre-operative investigation of 31 patients with bronchial cancer. Results were also compared with functional tolerance of patients treated by pneumonectomy. Follow-up hemodynamic explorations were performed postoperatively in eight of these patients. Values for pulmonary artery pressure obtained during the UBPAT appear to be much more discriminatory than the ventilatory parameters studied for predicting functional tolerance following pneumonectomy. Apart from some complexity in its performance this test appears to be a valid one, when associated with pulmonary angiography, for pre-operative investigation of bronchial cancer patients at high functional risk.