Recovery of respiratory muscle strength, physical function, and dyspnoea after lobectomy in lung cancer patients undergoing pulmonary rehabilitation: A retrospective study.

Objective: To characterise changes in respiratory muscle strength, physical function, and dyspnoea in patients who underwent pre- and post-operative exercise intervention following lobectomy for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods: This retrospective study included NSCLC patients who underwent lobectomy via video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) or posterolateral thoracotomy (PLT) and pre- and post-operative exercise intervention consisting of breathing, flexibility, resistance, aerobic exercises, coughing/huffing techniques, and early mobilisation. Maximum mouth inspiratory (Pimax) and expiratory pressures (Pemax), 6-min walk distance (6MWD), quadriceps force (QF), and modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnoea scale were evaluated preoperatively, at hospital discharge, and post-lobectomy 1 and 3 months.

A Case of Mediastinal Lymph Node Carcinoma of Unknown Primary Site.

A 63-year-old man was pointed out with a mediastinal tumor on chest computed tomography (CT). On positron emission tomography-CT, fluorodeoxyglucose accumulation with a maximum standardized uptake value of 12.70 was seen in this tumor.

Video-assisted segmental resection of an intrapulmonary bronchogenic cyst mimicking a middle mediastinal cystic tumor.

We report a case of an intrapulmonary bronchogenic cyst that radiologically mimicked a cystic tumor of the middle mediastinum. During video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, the lesion was confirmed to be in the lung parenchyma rather than in the mediastinum. A video-assisted thoracoscopic anterior basal segmentectomy was eventually performed, and an intrapulmonary bronchogenic cyst was the diagnosis based on histology.

L-shaped mini-sternotomy combined with videoscopic approach for thymoma with invasion of major veins.

It might be possible to remove thymic tumors with minimal invasion of the left brachiocephalic vein (BCV) using an advanced videoscopic technique; simple resection of this vessel can be achieved via such an approach. However, tumor invasion of the superior vena cava or right  BCV requires angioplasty or reconstruction, both of which are difficult to perform in videoscopic procedures. We report a case of invasive thymoma with localized invasion of the great vessels at the junction of the left BCV and superior vena cava.

Recurrence in regional pulmonary lymph nodes after surgery for isolated pulmonary metastasis from hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma occasionally metastasizes to extrahepatic organs, rarely to the mediastinal lymph nodes. We present the case of a 64-year-old man who presented with nodules in the upper and right lower lobes of the lung 4 years after undergoing resection of a hepatocellular carcinoma. We performed wedge resection of both lesions.

Liposome-encapsulated hemoglobin accelerates bronchial healing after pneumonectomy in the rat with or without preoperative radiotherapy.

Liposome-encapsulated hemoglobin (LEH) has been reported to accelerate wound healing in the stomach and skin in an experimental setting. LEH was tested in bronchial anastomotic healing after radiation and pneumonectomy in the rat. Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 61) received preoperative radiation (20 Gy) to the chest and underwent left pneumonectomy with bronchial stump closure using the Sweet method 4 days later, when they were randomized to receive intravenous infusion of LEH with high O2 affinity (P50 O2  = 17 mm Hg, 10 mL/kg, n = 32) or saline (n = 29).

Delayed hemothorax superimposed on extrapleural hematoma after blunt chest injury: a case report.

We report a case showing delayed hemothorax superimposed on extrapleural hematoma after blunt chest injury. The patient was a 56-year-old man with a medical history of alcoholic hepatopathy who presented with a chief complaint of dyspnea on exertion. One month prior to presentation, he had sustained a fall that had resulted in left simple rib fracture.

Tumor budding is a significant indicator of a poor prognosis in lung squamous cell carcinoma patients.

Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide and patients occasionally develop local recurrence or distant metastasis soon after curative resection. Reports of new therapeutic strategies for lung squamous cell carcinoma (SqCC) are extremely rare, while selective anticancer therapy has been reported for lung adenocarcinoma. The aim of this study was to identify clinicopathological prognostic factors for SqCC.

A case of an elderly patient treated for descending necrotizing mediastinitis.

We report a case of descending necrotizing mediastinitis (DNM). DNM is a serious infection, and preventing death requires early diagnosis and draining of the infection focus. An 84-year-old man was admitted to our hospital complaining of a swollen neck and pain when swallowing.

[The relation between the frequency of exercise oxygen desaturation following major lung resection and the predictions of postoperative pulmonary function].

The predictors of oxygen desaturation during exercise in patients submitted to major pulmonary resection for lung cancer are to be determined. We analyzed retrospectively the relation between the oxygen saturation by pulse oxymetry (Spo2) during exercise and the predictions of postoperative pulmonary function. A hundred twenty-two patients with lung cancer who underwent lung resection from January 1999 to May 2004 were included (79 men, 43 women, average age 66.

Compromised video-assisted thoracoscopic segmental resection for high-risk patients with stage I lung cancer near the lung hilum.

We performed a video-assisted thoracoscopic segmental resection without doing a mini-thoracotomy in two patients (one octogenarian and one with poor lung function) with early stage (T1-2N0) lung cancer located at the lung hilum who required preservation of their cardiopulmonary function. After 2 years of follow-up, both patients are alive without recurrence. We describe the cases and the method used for the video-assisted thoracoscopic segmental resection using an endoscopic stapler.

Life-saving treatment by fluid resuscitation and a thoracotomy in a case of deep pulmonary laceration.

Case: A 41-year-old man survived deep pulmonary and hepatic lacerations by treatment with fluid resuscitation, blood transfusion, thoracotomy, and transcatheter hepatic artery embolization. The patient was transferred to our hospital 46 minutes after his motorbike struck a station wagon from behind. Hemorrhagic shock with systolic blood pressure of 68 mmHg was observed.

Spontaneous pneumothorax and a coexistent azygos lobe.

We present a primary spontaneous pneumothorax involving a possible diagnostic and surgical pitfall. A 25-year-old man with a previously identified azygos lobe was admitted to our hospital because of right primary spontaneous pneumothorax. A preoperative chest X-ray at the onset of the pneumothorax as well as after resolution by tube drainage showed an azygos fissure but no azygos vein.