Publications by authors named "Antonio Zaccaria"
Background: This observational study evaluates retrospectively the long-term outcomes after pleurectomy/decortication for pleural mesothelioma, with and without the resection/reconstruction of diaphragm and pericardium.
Methods: Data from 155 consecutive patients undergoing lung-sparing surgery for epithelial pleural mesothelioma were reviewed. Selection criteria for surgery were cT1-3, cN0-1, good performance status, age <80 years.
As for other major thoracic operations the conventional 30-day morbidity and mortality marker may underestimate the actual surgical risk of extrapleural pneumonectomy. We retrospectively analysed the prolonged follow-up of 78 patients submitted to extrapleural pneumonectomy for pleural mesothelioma (55), lung cancer with associated carcinomatous (7) or purulent (8) pleuritis, empyema/destroyed lung (4), and mediastinal (2) and chest wall (2) tumours with pleuro-pulmonary involvement. Significant rates of surgery-related major complications (19%) and fatalities (6.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPersistent air leak (PAL) is the most common complication after lung resection, requiring additional treatments and hospital stay. Intraoperative prevention of PAL is usually left to the surgeon's subjective judgement, with inconsistent results. The aim of the study was to establish systematic, reproducible quantification of air leaks at thoracotomy in order to identify those which are potentially persistent, to be preventively treated by intraoperative "blood patch" pneumo-stasis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn sporadic though non-anecdotal series, long-term survival has been reported for patients operated on for lung cancer with secondary carcinomatous pleuritis. In a retrospective study, we review the outcomes of 24 surgical patients (20 treated with standard lung resection +/- pleurectomy and 4 with extended pleuropneumonectomy) out of 48 individuals affected by pleural spread before or at thoracotomy. We observed a 16.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The study addresses the lack of consensus in treating thoracic outlet syndrome by proposing a classification system based on nerve, artery, and vein injuries (NAV).
- From 1984 to 2002, 156 patients were evaluated and categorized into four stages according to their NAV status, guiding their treatment accordingly.
- The preliminary results show that the NAV system effectively groups patients, suggesting the need for a larger multicenter study to validate its use universally.
Article Synopsis
- Sugarbaker's trimodality treatment shows potential for extended survival in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma, but its effectiveness needs further verification across larger studies.
- A study involving 43 patients found that 33 underwent surgery, with a survival rate of 30% and disease-free survival of 25% at three years post-treatment.
- Early-stage tumours had better outcomes, highlighting the importance of accurate diagnosis and staging, as well as improved post-surgical monitoring for better treatment results.