The incidence of thoracic empyema has been reduced with the advent of antimicrobial agents. But, there are remained many significant problems in the management of thoracic empyema because of the empyema associated with bronchopleural fistula, other complications, This is a clinical analysis of 76 cases of thoracic empyema who had been treated from August 1975 to July 1991 in the Chest Surgery Department, Chung-Ang University Hospital. This report dealed with the incidence, etiology and symptoms, duration of hospital stay, therapeutic methods and review of literatures in the aspect of thoracic empyema, The results were as follows: 1. Predominance of male [3 : 1] and right side [1.5 : 1] were recorded. 2. The main symptom was the chest pain [55%], dyspnea[36%], fever[33%], cough [23%] and others. 3, The most common predisposing causatic diseases were pulmonary tuberculosis[33%] and pneumonia[31%], but also uncertain cases were 15%.4. Searching for the causatic organisms, there were not-identified[49%], streptoccocci [17%], staphylococci[12%], mixed infection[12%], AFB bacilli[7%]. 5. The range of hospital stay was from 6 to 146 days and the average duration was 29.4 days, 6. The results were good as the methods of closed thoracostomy[52%], decortication [23%], thoracentesis[15%], rib resection and drainage[4%], open drainage[4%], pleuropneumonectomy [4%]. 7. The serious complications or mortality didn`t developed.