[Monstrous Solitary Fibrous Tumor of the Pleura - A Case Report and Review of the Literature].

Localized solitary fibrous tumors are a rare entity and are mostly found in the thorax, but can also occur in the liver, skin, meninges, peritoneum, and pericardium. Making the diagnosis is often difficult because of the various micromorphologic outlooks. The histopathological assessment with differentiated immunohistochemistry is decisive.

[Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer before and after Surgery - a Comparison between Thoracotomy and Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery].

Background: Earlier studies have proven that in patients with non-small cell lung cancer video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery is functionally superior to thoracotomy in terms of perioperative and postoperative complications. The objective of this work was to determine whether there is a difference in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients with non-small cell lung cancer - compared to the German normal population - before and after surgery. Moreover, HRQoL after thoracotomy was compared to HRQoL after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS).

[Pain Treatment After Thoracic Surgery].

The treatment of pain after thoracic surgery is a challenge and takes place in the individual clinics mostly according to clinic internal standards. It exists no currently valid S3 guideline for the treatment of acute perioperative and posttraumatic pain. For an effective pain treatment as well individual pain experience as the pain intensity of the various thoracic surgical procedures must be considered.

A randomized trial of automated versus conventional protocol-driven weaning from mechanical ventilation following coronary artery bypass surgery.

Objective: The Siemens servo 300 A ventilator has an automode function that allows automated weaning of patients from mechanical ventilation. Spontaneous breathing triggers the ventilator. After two spontaneously triggered breaths, the ventilator automatically changes from mandatory mechanical ventilation to spontaneous ventilation.

Special article: physiologic consequences of pneumonectomy. Consequences on the esophageal function. 1999.

Pneumonectomy is associated with gross anatomic and physiologic changes of the esophagus. So far, only a few studies have examined the influences of anatomic changes of the esophagus and the resulting physiologic consequences. When pneumonectomy is performed without pulmonary replacement, the esophagus is displaced to the side of pneumonectomy and posteriorly.