Thoracic outlet syndrome: a retrospective analysis of robotic assisted first rib resections.

Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS) is caused by compression of the neurovascular bundle between the first rib and the clavicula, which can cause a large panel of symptoms and has a reported incidence of approximately 2-4/100.000. Surgical treatment consists of the resection of the first rib and is historically performed using an open, mainly transaxillary, approach.

How effective is indocyanine green (ICG) in localization of malignant pulmonary nodules? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Video-Assisted and Robotic-Assisted techniques become constantly more prominent practice in thoracic surgery for lung cancer. Furthermore, the increased frequency in detection of small lung cancers makes the intra-operative identification of these cancers even more challenging. Indocyanine Green (ICG) is one of the most commonly used dyes that assists surgeons identify small lung cancers intra-operatively.

Thoracic Outlet Syndrome: Single Center Experience on Robotic Assisted First Rib Resection and Literature Review.

Background: Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) is a pathological condition caused by a narrowing between the clavicle and first rib leading to a compression of the neurovascular bundle to the upper extremity. The incidence of TOS is probably nowadays underestimated because the diagnosis could be very challenging without a thorough clinical examination along with appropriate clinical testing. Beside traditional supra-, infraclavicular or transaxillary approaches, the robotic assisted first rib resection has been gaining importance in the last few years.

Nonunion of traumatic rib fractures: a suitable indication for surgery?

Purpose: Nonunion of traumatic rib fractures is a clinical/radiological diagnosis caused by an alteration of bone healing reparative process. Since it is a painful condition, nonunion has a significative impact on patient's morbidity and quality of life. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes after surgical stabilization of ribs affected by nonunion after traumatic fractures.

Thymic tumours: a single center surgical experience and literature review on the current diagnosis and management of thymic malignancies.

Objective: This study aimed to provide an extensive overview of clinical and pathological findings along with various therapeutic options analyzing in addiction, retrospectively, the surgical outcomes of a single center cohort.

Background: Thymic neoplasms are rare thoracic tumors which commonly are located in the anterior mediastinum and are associated with a wide spectrum of clinical presentations. They may run an indolent course or could present a very aggressive biologic progression with infiltration of mediastinal structures and presence of distant metastases.

Pneumonectomy for lung cancer in the elderly: lessons learned from a multicenter study.

Background: 60% of patients diagnosed with lung cancer are older than 65 years and are at risk for substandard treatment due to a reluctance to recommend surgery. Pneumonectomy remains a high risk procedure especially in elderly patients. Nevertheless, the impact of age and neoadjuvant treatment on outcomes after pneumonectomy is still not well described.

Candida Albicans Osteomyelitis after Chest Wall Blunt Trauma: A Case Report.

Fungal osteomyelitis is a rare disease that can occur in immunocompromised patients. We report a case of a patient with a primary rib osteomyelitis after a blunt trauma of the chest wall. Aggressive surgical debridement along with antifungal therapy was the cornerstone of the disease management in this patient.

Surgical and endoscopic treatment for COPD: patients selection, techniques and results.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a very heterogeneous disease characterised by an obstructive lung pattern that constitutes worldwide a major cause of high morbidity and mortality. In the last decades, lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) has demonstrated to be a potential good alternative to transplantation in patients affected by COPD. The trend toward minimally invasive techniques resulted not only in surgical procedures better tolerated by the patients but also in several endoscopic treatments modality that are rapidly gaining ground.

The postpneumonectomy syndrome: clinical presentation and treatment.

Background: Postpneumonectomy syndrome (PPS) is a rare complication after pneumonectomy. It consists of an excessive mediastinal shift resulting in compression and stretching of the tracheobronchial tree and the esophagus. The aim of this study was to give a comprehensive overview of diagnosis, variety of symptoms and evaluation of surgical treatment of PPS.

Airway complications after lung transplantation: risk factors, prevention and outcome.

Purpose: Anastomotic complications following lung transplantation (LuTx) have been described in up to 15% of patients. Challenging to treat, they are associated with high morbidity and a mortality rate of 2-5%. The aim of this study was to analyze the incidence of complications in a consecutive series of bronchial anastomosis after LuTx at our center and to delineate the potential risk factors.

Accelerated treatment of postpneumonectomy empyema: a binational long-term study.

Objective: Postpneumonectomy empyema remains a clinical challenge. We proposed an accelerated therapy without an open chest window 5 years ago. This concept was evaluated on a larger scale in 2 centers in 2 different countries.

Thoracoscopic treatment of pulmonary sequestration.

Objective: Pulmonary sequestration is a rare congenital malformation and may be the cause of recurrent infections or hemoptysis. It has been shown in case reports that resection by video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) is feasible despite the possible technical difficulties due to inflammatory changes, but its role has not been evaluated yet in a larger series of consecutively treated patients.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of all consecutively thoracoscopically treated patients (between January 1991 and January 2005) with pulmonary sequestration in a single center.

Endotracheal neurofibroma in neurofibromatosis type 1: an unusual manifestation.

Tracheal involvement is an extremely rare manifestation in patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1). We present a 33-year-old women with NF-1 suffering from progressive dyspnea. Multislice spiral CT revealed a neurofibroma located within the trachea with intratracheal extension.