Impact of Pulmonary Ligament Resection in Upper Lobectomies: A Multicenter Matched Cohort Study.

: Division of the pulmonary ligament is standard in lower lobectomies, but its application in upper lobectomies remains controversial due to potential complications like atelectasis and bronchial kinking. This retrospective matched cohort study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ligament resection in upper lobectomies for oncological purposes. : From January 2015 to December 2020, 988 patients who underwent minimally invasive upper lobectomies across multiple centers were identified.

Blood-Derived Systemic Inflammation Markers and Risk of Nodal Failure in Stage Ia Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Multicentric Study.

Background: Unexpected spread to regional lymph nodes can be found in up to 10% of patients with early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), thereby affecting both prognosis and treatment. Given the known relation between systemic inflammation and tumor progression, we sought to evaluate whether blood-derived systemic inflammation markers might help to the predict nodal outcome in patients with stage Ia NSCLC.

Methods: Preoperative levels of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and systemic inflammation score (SII, platelets × NLR) were collected from 368 patients who underwent curative lung resection for NSCLC.

Systemic Inflammation after Uniport, Multiport, or Hybrid VATS Lobectomy for Lung Cancer.

Background: Different video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) approaches can be adopted to perform lobectomy for non-small cell lung cancer. Given the hypothetical link existing between postoperative inflammation and long-term outcomes, we compared the dynamics of systemic inflammation markers after VATS lobectomy performed with uniportal access (UNIVATS), multiportal access (MVATS), or hybrid approach (minimally invasive hybrid open surgery, MIHOS).

Methods: Peripheral blood-derived inflammation markers (neutrophil-to-lymphocyte [NTL] ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte [PTL] ratio, and systemic immune-inflammation index [SII]) were measured preoperatively and until postoperative day 5 in 109 patients undergoing UNIVATS, MVATS, or MIHOS lobectomy.

Incidence of pneumomediastinum in COVID-19: A single-center comparison between 1st and 2nd wave.

In this study, we compared the incidence of pneumomediastinum in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients during the ascending phases of the 1st and 2nd epidemic waves. Crude incidence was higher during the 2nd wave at a quasi-significant level (0.68/1000 vs.

Off-Label Use of T-Tube as Chest Drainage for Uniportal Surgery.

Uniportal video-assisted thoracic surgery implies the positioning of a single chest drain at the mid thorax level. Therefore, this tube cannot reach simultaneously the basal and apical regions of the pleural cavity. We propose the off-label use of a T-tube usually utilized in biliary duct surgery.

Subxiphoid completion thymectomy for refractory non-thymomatous myasthenia gravis.

Background: Completion thymectomy may be performed in patients with non-thymomatous refractory myasthenia gravis (MG) to allow a complete and definitive clearance from residual thymic tissue located in the mediastinum or in lower neck. Hereby we present our short- and long-term results of completion thymectomy using subxiphoid video-assisted thoracoscopy.

Methods: Between July 2010 and December 2017, 15 consecutive patients with refractory non-thymomatous myasthenia, 8 women and 7 men with a median age of 44 [interquartile range (IQR) 38.