[Early chest tube removal after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. Results of a prospective randomized study].

Background: Chest tubes frequently cause postoperative patient discomfort after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). Therefore, a prospective randomized study was conducted to analyze whether early chest tube removal within 2 h postoperatively is justified in VATS.

Methods: Ninety-three patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria (VATS including wedge resection, complete lung extension on postoperative chest roentgenogram) and showed no exclusion criteria (lung volume reduction surgery, extensive pulmonary fibrosis, pneumothorax, pleural effusion, air fistula).

[Pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis as a rare cause of recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax].

Background: Pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis is a rare disease that occurs mainly in women of reproductive age. The clinical characteristics include recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax and progressive dyspnea. The features of chest computed tomography are nearly pathognomonic with the detection of bilateral thin-walled cysts.

Cost and quality of life in thoracic surgery--a health economic analysis in a German center.

Background: A critical look at the effectiveness of medical procedures and therapies is important with the increasing limitations on resources in health care.

Method: The costs for treatment and the quality of life according to the SF-36 were analyzed in a retrospective health economic study on 65 patients who had undergone surgery for primary non-small-cell lung cancer.

Results: The mean cost for all patients was 7,169 euro per patient.

[Simultaneous immunocytochemical detection of tumor cells in lymph nodes and in bone marrow of patients with resectable bronchial carcinomas].

Despite an apparently curative resection more than 50% of patients with non-small cell carcinomas (NSCLC) will relapse after surgery. Therefore, it has to be assumed that in a substantial number of patients a tumor cell dissemination has occurred already at the time of surgery. In a prospective study we analyzed the extend of an early regional tumor cell dissemination into lymph nodes and/or a systemic tumor cell dissemination into the bone marrow in 91 patients with completely resected NSCLC by using sensitive immunocytochemical techniques.