A fistula is the medical name for an abnormal opening between two hollow organs in the body.

When an operation is done to remove the whole lung (a pneumonectomy), or part of the lung (a lobectomy) this leaves a space in the chest where the lung tissue used to be. This space is called the pleural cavity. The operation also leaves behind the stump of the airway (the bronchus) that led into the removed lung, or lobe. During the operation the open end of this stump will be sealed.

A bronchopleural fistula occurs when this seal breaks down, forming an opening from the bronchus into the pleural cavity.

Bronchopleural fistulas are rare after lobectomies but occur following about 1 in 50 pneumonectomies. They usually occur within a few weeks of the operation, and are more common after removal of the right lung than the left.

A bronchopleural fistula can cause shortness of breath and a cough, and may lead to chest infections and coughing up of blood (haemoptysis).

The treatment depends on how far the sealed end of the bronchus has broken down. If it is very small then no treatment may be needed but in more severe cases a further operation may be necessary to re-seal the airway.