Pericardial fat or azygos vein for bronchial stump coverage after right sided pneumonectomy?

Objectives: Postpneumonectomy bronchial stump fistulas occur more frequently after right-sided than left-sided procedures. Recently, bronchial stump coverage with a pedicled pericardial fat flap has been proposed as standard for all pneumonectomies. So far, no study has opposed this technique to the classical method of right-sided stump coverage with the azygos vein. Therefore, this study has been initiated to compare the incidences of postpneumonectomy bronchial stump fistulas of both techniques.