The incidence of the empyema thoracis has been drastically reduced with the advent of antimicrobial drugs. Empyema thoracis is however still dealt with one of major problems in thoracic surgery because of difficulties in the management of associated bronchopleural fistula. During the period of January 1975 to June 1979, 145 patients of empyema thoracis were treated in the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Busan National University Hospital. This reports dealed especially with the incidence, etiology and management of chronic empyema thoracis with B.P.F. and estimated the results of intercostal myoplasty. The results: 1 ] Among 145 empyema thoracis patients, 33 patients [22.7%] had bronchopleural fistula. 2] Male predominated in general with the ratio of 4:1 and in empyema thoracis with B.P.F. male predominance was further more prominent with the ratio of 10:1. Peak incidence of chronic empyema thoracis lay on 3rd and 4th decade. 3] The most common causation of empyema thoracis was pneumonia [77.3%] in children and tuberculosis [48.8%] in adult. 4] The most common causative organism of empyema thoracis was staphylococcus aureus [52.5%]. 5] Among 40 cases of resection for pulmonary tuberculosis, 4 cases developed empyema thoracis with B.P.F. [10%], and resection for another underlying pathology was 2.1%. 6] In contrast to good prognosis of acute empyema thoracis, chronic empyema thoracis with B.P.F. was improved only 66.6% of cases. 81.5% of chronic empyema without B.P.F. were cured completely. 7] Intercostal myoplasty were performed in 21 cases of empyema thoracis with B.P.F. and of which 15 cases showed that fistula were closed. 8] The over all mortality rate in empyema thoracis was 8.7%. The mortality rate of chronic empyema thoracis with and without B.P.F. was 15.2% and 5.3% respectively.[KTCS 1980;1:26-33]