Successful nonsurgical treatment of tuberculous empyema in an irreducible pleural space.

A 78-year-old woman with empyema due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis in a chronic pleural space was successfully treated with a 24-month course of oral isoniazid, rifampin, ethambutol, and serial space-emptying thoracocenteses. Besides dramatic clinical improvement, follow-up pleural fluid analyses demonstrated gradual replacement of the empyema with a sterile pleural exudate, which has persisted 24 months after cessation of therapy. This case demonstrates a therapeutic program that was an effective alternative to decortication or thoracoplasty for tuberculous empyema in an irreducible pleural space.