Intercostal lung herniation after repeat thoracotomy.

Intercostal lung herniation is a rare condition caused by a defect in the thoracic wall, high intrathoracic pressure, or both. The authors report a case of intercostal lung herniation after repeat thoracotomy, which was repaired with a synthetic patch. Etiology, symptoms, diagnostic techniques and treatment of intercostal lung herniations are discussed.

Nodal status at repeat mediastinoscopy determines survival in non-small cell lung cancer with mediastinal nodal involvement, treated by induction therapy.

Objective: Remediastinoscopy is a valuable tool in restaging non-small cell lung cancer after induction therapy for mediastinal nodal involvement as it provides pathological evidence of response and may select patients for subsequent thoracotomy. However, long-term survival data after remediastinoscopy are scarce.

Methods: From November 1994 to April 2003, a remediastinoscopy was performed in 32 patients (29 men, 3 women) after induction therapy for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Multi-center study of two dose levels of paclitaxel with carboplatin in locally advanced and metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Background: The efficacy and toxicity of the combination of two cytotoxic compounds that are active as single agents in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), paclitaxel (Taxol) and carboplatin (Paraplatin) was investigated in a multicenter, community-based setting.

Materials And Methods: Two consecutive cohorts of chemonaive patients with stages IIIA/B and IV NSCLC received two dose levels of paclitaxel. The first cohort received 200 mg/m2 over 3 hours (HD) and the second cohort 175 mg/m2 over 3 hours (LD) in combination with a fixed dose of carboplatin.

Improved ventilatory function after combined operation for pulmonary emphysema and lung cancer.

Background: Smoking is the leading cause of both lung cancer and emphysema. Therefore, some patients with stage I and II disease will present with contra-indications to resection including a predicted postoperative FEV1 of less than 0.81 or a VO2max of less than 10 ml/kg/min.

Paranasal sinus pathology in allergic and non-allergic respiratory tract diseases.

Two hundred and seventy patients with asthma and/or rhinitis (162 or 60% allergic, 108 or 40% non-allergic) were studied for sinus pathology by means of standard X-rays and tomograms. Sinus pathology was defined as abnormal sinus X-rays, either on standard or tomography. Fifty-four percent of the X-rays were classified as abnormal based on mucosal thickening, loss of translucency of the cavities of polyps.