Video-thoracoscopic approach, without suture, of late thoracic esophageal perforations.

Objectives: to evaluate the use of video-thoracoscopy, in the treatment of late perforations of the thoracic esophagus, without suture or organ resection.

Methods: retrospective analysis of patients with late diagnosis (> 12 hours) of thoracic esophageal perforation treated by video-thoracoscopy, without suture or organ resection, over a 15-year period.

Results: sixteen patients were operated on, ten men and six women, aged between 48 and 66 years, with time between the diagnosis of the perforation and the surgery ranging from 16 to 26 hours.

The revised tumor-node-metastasis staging system for lung cancer: changes and perspectives.

The tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) staging system for lung cancer has been modified since its first edition in the late 1960s. Its seventh edition has been recently published and, for the first time, a truly worldwide database was analyzed in order to propose modifications in the staging. Significant changes have been made in the tumor and metastasis descriptors.

Asymptomatic giant mediastinal mass: a rare case of thymolipoma.

Thymolipoma is a very rare benign neoplasm of the thymus. We present the case of a 42-year-old male with a massive mediastinal tumor discovered on a chest X-ray after a motorcycle accident. The patient had no complaints, and his physical examination was unremarkable.