To study the recovery pattern of pulmonary function after decortication, the author performed serial pulmonary function tests using spirometry before and at lst., 3rd., 4th. week, lst., 3rd., 6th. month and 1st. year in 36 patients who underwent decortication from January 1989 to September 1991 at the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Pusan National University Hospital, Pusan, Korea. Patients were divided into 3 groups by the degree of compression of lung parenchyme. Group I was classified below 20%, Group II between 21 to 40%, Group III above 41%. Their serial changes of pulmonary function test were compared. The obtained results were as follows; 1. Maximal voluntary ventilation was recovered in 1st post perative week and even greater improvement was noted in group III in which ratio to 44 % of the preoperative value. 2. Vital capacity reached nearly to preoperative values in 3rd postoperative week and had increased much further to 26 % above the preoperative figure in group II. 3. Forced expiratory volume in 1 second returned rather slowly in 3rd-4th postoperative week and the mean VC was improved more higher in group II than the other groups following decorti cation. 4. There was an greatest improvement over all tests[MW, VC, FEV1] in 2nd decade which ratios to preoperative value were 34, 25 and 22 % respectively.