Drainless thoracoscopic surgery should be avoided in primary spontaneous pneumothorax with pleural adhesion.

Objectives: Drainless thoracoscopic surgery, defined by omitting chest drain after surgery, has been demonstrated to be feasible in selected patients for pulmonary resection. However, drainless procedure for the treatment of primary spontaneous pneumothorax has raised concerns for its safety and thus has been less often reported. We aimed to share our preliminary experience regarding how to select patients with spontaneous pneumothorax for this procedure.

The role of pleural fluid lactate dehydrogenase-to-adenosine deaminase ratio in differentiating the etiology of pleural effusions.

Exudative pleural effusion includes tuberculous pleural effusion (TPE), parapneumonic pleural effusion (PPE), and malignant pleural effusion (MPE). An elevated pleural fluid adenosine deaminase (ADA) typically implies TPE, but the rule may not apply to every individual case. Recent studies proposed that the pleural fluid lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)-to-ADA ratio showed a higher diagnostic power than pleural fluid ADA alone in differentiating the etiology of pleural effusion.

Is tubeless uniportal video-assisted thoracic surgery for pulmonary wedge resection a safe procedure?

Objectives: Tubeless uniportal video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS), using a uniportal approach and non-intubated anaesthesia while avoiding postoperative chest drain insertion, for patients undergoing thoracoscopic surgery has been demonstrated to be feasible in selected cases. However, to date, the safety of the procedure has not been studied.

Methods: We reviewed consecutive patients undergoing non-intubated uniportal VATS for pulmonary wedge resection at 2 medical centres between August 2016 and October 2019.

Esophageal Metal Stents with Concurrent Chemoradiation Therapy for Locally Advanced Esophageal Cancer: Safe or Not?

Background: The purpose of this study was to review the risks and benefits of concurrent chemoradiation therapy (CCRT) with esophageal self-expandable metal stents (SEMS) for the treatment of locally advanced esophageal cancer.

Materials And Methods: Between January 2014 and December 2016, the data from 46 locally advanced esophageal cancer patients who received CCRT at our institution were retrospectively reviewed. Eight patients who received CCRT concomitant with SEMS placement (SEMS plus CCRT group) and thirty-eight patients who received CCRT without SEMS placement (CCRT group) were identified.

Clinical features of patients with esophageal and second primary cancers.

Background: The prevalence of esophageal cancer (EC) with second primary cancers (SPC) is increasing worldwide. This study was aimed to understand the clinical features of EC patients with SPC in the Taiwanese population.

Materials And Methods: Clinical and laboratory data for 180 EC patients with or without SPC were collected between January 2009 and December 2013.