The omentum flap for empyema treatment: indications and disadvantages

Dear Sirs, We read with great interest the article of Shinohara et al. “Benefits of using omental pedicle flap over muscle flap for closure of open window thoracotomy “in which they compare the muscle and omentum flaps (1). The authors compare the omentum pedicle flap with the loco-regional muscle flaps for the treatment of empyema. They conclude that the omentum is superior in reducing local recurrence and shortening postoperative hospital stay after open-window thoracostomy (OWT) closure with mortality, morbidity and success rates remaining the same in both groups (1).