Four-arm robotic lung resection versus muscle-sparing mini-thoracotomy: retrospective experience.

Background: Robotic surgery was introduced in the early 2000s but its use remains limited, particularly in thoracic surgery. Here we compare the first consecutive 185 four-arm robotic procedures carried out in our institution muscle-sparing video-assisted mini-thoracotomy (MSMT), our previous minimally invasive approach for anatomical lung resection.

Methods: One hundred and eighty-five consecutive patients undergoing surgery using the four-arm robotic technique between February 2014 and December 2016 were compared to a control historical series of 136 consecutive patients undergoing surgery by MSMT in the same institution.

[Validation of an evaluation questionnaire for COPD acute exacerbations (Exascore)].

Background: Early identification of acute exacerbations of COPD facilitates better care. This study was designed to validate a short questionnaire (Exascore) developed to help patients, relatives and carers to diagnose acute exacerbations.

Method: We first addressed content validity that allowed the elaboration of two questionnaires, one assessing the current status and the other stable status (transition).

[Pulmonary actinomycosis. Apropos of a case].

The authors report a case of pseudo-tumoral thoracic actinomycosis with lysis of a rib in a young man who was a heavy smoker and drinker. This observation is an opportunity to review the usual difficulties of diagnosis in patients with this rare disease occurring most often in a patient who is debilitated with important disease in the teeth and gingival margins. The standard treatment is penicillin G, which leads to a cure within one month.

[Chemotherapy of cerebral metastasis of lung cancer].

Between November 1983 and November 1988, 60 patients with cerebral metastases arising from primary lung cancer were treated with chemotherapy. Thirty patients received a 5-day course of cisplatin (total dose: 200 mg/sq.m).

[Comparative study of anticholinergic and betamimetic agents in the treatment of asthma attacks].

Four regimens of bronchodilatation therapy administered on 2 consecutive days were tested in 4 randomly selected groups of 6 asthmatic patients: 1) intravenous atropine + inhaled oxitropium bromide; 2) intravenous atropine alone; 3) intravenous salbutamol + inhaled salbutamol; 4) intravenous salbutamol alone. On the second day the treatments were crossed over, i.e.