Role of Surgery
In the pre-antibiotic era surgery was the only method of therapy for lung abscess. In the
modern era there is very limited role for surgery in patients with lung abscess. Most of
the lung abscesses are curable with antibiotics and postural drainage. Massive hemoptysis
is often the most common indication for surgery in the modern days. In patients with
partial airway obstruction, lung abscess may increase in size even with antibiotics and
one may have to resort to drainage procedure or surgical resection.