The results of three cases of unilateral pulmonary embolectomy through right thoracotomy approach for chronic pulmonary embolism.

Three patients with chronic pulmonary embolism underwent successfully unilateral pulmonary arterial thromboembolectomy. In these cases, severe degree of right heart failure and respiratory distress were the primary indications to the operation. Under normothermic partial cardiopulmonary bypass, right unilateral pulmonary thromboembolectomy were performed with beating heart. Distal counter-incision was found to be facilitated to remove thrombi completely from the distal pulmonary artery. In the results of long-term study, postoperative cardiac catheterization data encouraged us to use this technique in the surgical treatment for the selective cases of this disease. All three patients have been doing well without any sign of recurrence up to 17 years of the surgery.