Systematic review of spontaneous pneumomediastinum: a survey of 22 years' data.

Objective: To describe and clarify management protocols in relation to spontaneous pneumomediastinum, and try to integrate criteria on this subject.

Background: Thoracic physicians are faced with patients who present with gas in the mediastinum, frequently without an obvious etiologic factor. Published material contains heterogeneous information from which different conclusions can be drawn.

Ascending necrotizing mediastinitis secondary to emphysematous pyelonephritis.

Mediastinal infections usually originate from postoperative complications or in a descending manner from a cervical infectious process; few reports have emerged describing an ascending trajectory. A 56-year-old woman with a Huang class 1 left emphysematous pyelonephritis was referred due to a progression of an ascending necrotizing mediastinitis. A left posterolateral thoracotomy was performed, drainage and thorough lavage were carried out with a successful outcome.

Descending necrotizing mediastinitis below the tracheal carina.

Background: Descending necrotizing mediastinitis is a dreadful disease with a high mortality rate, particularly when below the tracheal carina. This study describes the epidemiologic, clinical, and paraclinical features of patients treated for this condition.

Methods: We performed a single-center retrospective descriptive review of 60 patients with descending necrotizing mediastinitis below the tracheal carina, who were treated during a 7-year period, the largest study in the last 50 years.

Descending necrotizing mediastinitis and sternoclavicular joint osteomyelitis.

Descending necrotizing mediastinitis is usually associated with cervical or odontogenic infections. We describe a patient with blunt trauma to the chest 2 years earlier, and a slowly developing chest wall hematoma 18 months prior to admission, complicated by chronic sternoclavicular joint osteomyelitis, eventually leading to descending mediastinitis. Thoracotomy with drainage of the mediastinal spaces and multiple procedures for the sternoclavicular joint infection were successful.

Descending necrotizing mediastinitis associated with spinal cord abscess.

A 58-year-old man with a history of Ludwig's angina was admitted with a spinal cord abscess at the level of C2-T1 and associated osteomyelitic destruction of vertebral bodies, spinal cord compression, and secondary quadriparesis, followed by descending mediastinitis. A right posterolateral thoracotomy and a cervicotomy drained purulent exudates. A tracheostomy was performed, and the patient was discharged after 84 days.

Atypical intermediate-grade mediastinal carcinoid. Case presentation.

Background: Approximately 25% of carcinoid tumors develop in the respiratory system. Neuroendocrine carcinoids represent ~5% of all mediastinal tumors and 1-5% of all intrathoracic neoplasms. They contain numerous neurosecretory granules that synthesize, store and release neurohumoral substances that can induce the carcinoid syndrome.

[Surgical procedures in 156 cases of pleural effusion. Immediate results].

Background: Pleural effusion is a common clinical entity. Proper diagnosis and management are important for successful treatment. We undertook this study to evaluate immediate results of the procedures used in a group of cases with pleural effusion.

[Considerations on employment of the laser Nd:YAG in pneumology].

Employment of the laser in medicine has demonstrated its effectiveness. Laser Nd:YAG renders good results for treatment of obstructive malignant and benign airway lesions. There are no statistical differences in frequency of these two kind of lesions and immediate results of laser therapy.

[Human rights and informed consent].

The right to information is a right that all human beings have; it is unrenounceable and confers to the human being the Rights to the Political Constitution of the United States of Mexico, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Declaration of Geneva, and the Code of Behavior for Health Personnel. Information given to a sick person should suffice so that he/she can make a decision on management and treatment. Information is related directly with medical ethics and is obligatory not only for health workers but for all professionals in general.

[Multidisciplinary treatment of airway obstruction].

The airway obstruction may be for many diseases. In some cases is for malignant pathology and other cases for benign pathology. The etiology of malignant pathology may be for bronchogenic carcinoma, metastatic tumours, trachea primary tumours and larynx.