Laparoendoscopic Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy in Adults.

Background: Since its introduction, the placement of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) has been increasing in the Western countries. Nevertheless, it is not always possible to perform this operation. Laparoscopic-assisted endoscopic gastrostomy (LAPEG) is an effective alternative solution.

Tracheal glomus tumor successfully resected with rigid bronchoscopy: a case report.

Glomus tumor of the trachea is a rare disease. A glomus tumor of the trachea in a 70-year-old man is described. The tumor was successfully excised with rigid bronchoscopy.

Long-term survival of patients treated with photodynamic therapy for carcinoma in situ and early non-small-cell lung carcinoma.

Purpose: The role of photodynamic therapy (PDT) in the treatment of small cancers has been established in several clinical studies. Here, we report on the efficacy of PDT for early inoperable or recurrent non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods And Materials: From June 1989 to November 2004, 40 patients with 50 NSCLC were treated with PDT.

Pleurectomy/decortication plus chemotherapy: outcomes of 40 cases of malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma still has a dismal prognosis. Despite good patient selection and a multimodality approach, local disease control remains a problem. Whether submitted to pleurectomy/decortication or to extrapleural pneumonectomy, disease progression occurred in all 40 patients in this study.

[Nurses in specialistic surgery: centrality of a role].

According international trend patients over 70 submitted surgery in our Thoracic Surgery Unit are increasing. Therefore these patients are at higher risk of complications in the post-operative period owing to advanced age and comorbidities; most important among them BPCO and cardiovascular diseases. In our study most frequent and best evaluable complication was pneumonia.

Autoimmune-like pancreatitis in thymoma with myasthenia gravis.

A patient with thymoma and myasthenia gravis admitted for surgery presented increased serum levels of pancreatic amylase and lipase. Suspecting a thymoma-related autoimmune disorder, autoantibody serum titers were determined: increased autoantibody titers to acetylcholine receptors, thyroglobulin, thyroperoxidase and pancreatic insulin were detected. After thymectomy the serum levels of pancreatic enzymes decreased rapidly.