Measurement of interscalene space volume in diagnosis of thoracic outlet syndrome: a cadaver study.

Background/aim: The aim of this study was to measure the volume of interscalene space in thoracic outlet region on cadavers and radiological images and to analyze the potential value of these measurements in diagnosis and treatment of thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS).

Materials And Methods: The dimensions of the anterior interscalene space in 8 formalin-fixed human cadavers were studied by direct measurement and additionally evaluation of the volume of this space were done by using mold and volume calculation formula of square pyramid, due to resembling a pyramid. In the second phase of this study, interscalene space volume was calculated by formula and compared to calculations from computed tomography (CT) sections in 18 TOS and 16 control patients.

Long-term survival after R0 resection of thymoma.

Background The aim of this study was to evaluate the results of R0 resection of thymoma to identify prognostic factors for long-term outcomes. Methods Data of 62 patients (28 male, 34 female) with a mean age of 47.26 ± 14.

The importance of costoclavicular space on possible compression of the subclavian artery in the thoracic outlet region: a radio-anatomical study.

Objectives: The purposes of this study were to identify possible compression points along the transit route of the subclavian artery and to provide a detailed anatomical analysis of areas that are involved in the surgical management of the thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS). The results of the current study are based on measurements from cadavers, computed tomography (CT) scans and dry adult first ribs.

Methods: The width and length of the interscalene space and the width of the costoclavicular passage were measured on 18 cervical dissections in 9 cadavers, on 50 dry first ribs and on CT angiography sections from 15 patients whose conditions were not related to TOS.

Bilateral sympathicotomy for hyperhidrosis without using single-lung ventilation.

Background/aim: The goal of this retrospective study was to evaluate the outcomes and complications of bilateral videothoracoscopic sympathicotomy without using single-lung ventilation in the treatment of primary hyperhidrosis and facial blushing.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 154 consecutive patients (70 females and 84 males) who underwent bilateral sympathicotomy for palmar, axillary, and facial/scalp hyperhidrosis or facial blushing from February 2005 to June 2013. The patients were intubated with single-lumen endotracheal tube, and then sympathicotomies were performed via videothoracoscopy during controlled apnea periods.

Quantative computerized tomography assessment of lung density as a predictor of postoperative pulmonary morbidity in patients with lung cancer.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the pulmonary reserve of the patients via preoperative quantitative computerized tomography (CT) and to determine if these preoperative quantitative measurements could predict the postoperative pulmonary morbidity.

Methods: Fifty patients with lung cancer who underwent lobectomy/segmentectomy were included in the study. Preoperative quantitative CT scans and pulmonary function tests data were evaluated retrospectively.

Could thoracoscopic sympathicotomy for hyperhidrosis also improve acne vulgaris?

Introduction: The aim of this study is to emphasize the therapeutic effect of thoracoscopic sympathicotomy performed at our clinic for facial/scalp hyperhidrosis or blushing on coincidental facial acne vulgaris based on previous reports indicating an association between the sympathetic nerve stimulus, epithelial melanocyte system and sebogenesis.

Material And Methods: The possible therapeutic effects of sympathicotomy on facial acne vulgaris were analyzed in a study design of retrospective review with prospective collection of the data from March 2005 to March 2013.

Results: Forty-two patients were operated on at our clinic due to facial/scalp hyperhidrosis or blushing and 30 of these also had facial acne vulgaris.

A Rare Entity: Bilateral First Rib Fractures Accompanying Bilateral Scapular Fractures.

First rib fractures are scarce due to their well-protected anatomic locations. Bilateral first rib fractures accompanying bilateral scapular fractures are very rare, although they may be together with scapular and clavicular fractures. According to our knowledge, no case of bilateral first rib fractures accompanying bilateral scapular fractures has been reported, so we herein discussed the diagnosis, treatment, and complications of bone fractures due to thoracic trauma in bias of this rare entity.

[Cardiac and respiratory changes in the medium term after lung resection].

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the cardiac and respiratory functions at the 6th postoperative month, in lung cancer patients undergoing segmentectomy/lobectomy or pneumonectomy.

Methods: Thirteen segmentectomy/lobectomy and 5 pneumonectomy patients with lung cancer were consecutively enrolled between April 2012 and February 2014. All patients underwent respiratory function tests and transthoracic echocardiography preoperatively and at 6 months postoperatively.

A Rare and Serious Syndrome That Requires Attention in Emergency Service: Traumatic Asphyxia.

Traumatic asphyxia is a rare syndrome caused by blunt thoracoabdominal trauma and characterized by cyanosis, edema, and subconjunctival and petechial hemorrhage on the face, neck, upper extremities, and the upper parts of the thorax. Traumatic asphyxia is usually diagnosed by history and inspection; however, the patient should be monitored more closely due to probable complications of thoracoabdominal injuries. Treatment is conservative, but the prognosis depends on the severity of the associated injuries.

Endobronchial intubation in thoracic surgery: Which side should be preferred?

Aim: This study was undertaken to compare the clinical performance of right versus left double-lumen endotracheal tubes placed without using fiberoptic bronchoscopy in thoracic surgery operations.

Methods: This was a retrospective review of patients who were operated on in our institution between January 2013 and February 2014. We analyzed clinical performance in terms of hypoxia, hypercapnia, and adequate deflation of the lungs with both left- and right-sided double-lumen endotracheal tubes.

Painful Chest Wall Swellings: Tietze Syndrome or Chest Wall Tumor?

Background:  Tietze syndrome (TS) is an inflammatory condition characterized by chest pain and swelling of costochondral junction. Primary chest wall tumors may mimic TS. In this article, we report our experience of approximately 121 patients initially diagnosed as TS and determined chest wall tumor in some cases at the follow-up.

An unexpected complication of titanium rib clips.

Surgical stabilization of the rib fractures has been successfully performed for the management of pain in multiple rib fractures, fixation of chronically painful nonunion, reduction of overriding ribs, and flail chest cases. Herein we report a patient who was treated with titanium rib clips after a motor vehicle accident leading to pulmonary parenchymal laceration and multiple painful rib fractures. Three of the rib clips were broken 4 months after the operation.

Surgical correction of a fistula between left pulmonary artery and innominate vein.

A 48-year-old woman with chronic dyspnea complaints was referred to the thoracic surgery clinic for a surgical lung biopsy to make a definitive diagnosis of interstitial lung disease. Thoracic computed tomography imaging revealed a vascular structure located anterior to the aorta, between the left innominate vein and the pulmonary artery. Magnetic resonance angiography showed the abnormal vessel connection in detail.

Use of previously divided latissimus dorsi muscle for bronchopleural fistula.

Management of postpneumonectomy bronchopleural fistula remains a major challenge for thoracic surgeons. Successful closure of a postpneumonectomy bronchopleural fistula was performed in a 60-year-old man, using a flap made by a combination of serratus anterior and latissimus dorsi muscle which had been divided during the pneumonectomy operation. The flap was prepared on the presence of a dependable collateral serratus anterior branch to the lateral thoracic artery, which provides retrograde flow to the latissimus dorsi muscle.

Thymoma type B1 arising in a giant supradiaphragmatic thymolipoma.

Thymolipomas are uncommon tumors of the anterior mediastinum. They may extend into, but rarely stem from, the chest cavity. Furthermore, thymoma arising in a thymolipoma is extremely rare.

Unusual coexistence of pulmonary sclerosing hemangioma and pericardial cyst.

Pulmonary sclerosing hemangioma is an uncommon tumor, thought to be a benign neoplasm. Pericardial cysts are also uncommon benign abnormalities, most often found incidentally on chest radiography. We describe the case of a 51-year-old woman in whom both lesions were incidentially detected on a routine chest radiograph.

Elastofibroma dorsi management and outcomes: review of 16 cases.

Objectives: Elastofibroma dorsi (ED) is a rare, benign lesion arising from connective tissue, usually found at the inferior pole of the scapula. To date, only a few small series have been reported in the English literature and there are few data about the long-term outcomes after surgery. Our goal is to contribute a better understanding of this tumour and to determine the long-term outcomes after surgery.

Ultrasound guided TAP block for the treatment of postoperative prolonged pain - an alternative approach.

Transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block is a relatively new regional anesthesia technique in which T7-12 intercostal nerves, ilioinguinal and iliohypogastric nerves, and cutaneous branches of L1-3 nerves are blocked between the internal oblique and transversus abdominis muscles. This technique is mostly used for the treatment of acute postoperative pain following abdominal surgery. In this case report, we evaluate the usage of TAP block in prolonged pain following upper abdominal surgery.

Management of gastrostomy to prevent perforation in acute severe corrosive esophagitis and gastritis: an experimental study.

Background/aims: Symptomatic treatment is still the most commonly preferred treatment modality for acute severe esophagitis and gastritis. Clinical results of this treatment range from pathologies like stricture formation to loss of life. In our study, we aimed to demonstrate the effect of immediate gastrostomy in preventing perforation due to corrosive trauma.

Pathophysiology, clinical evaluation and treatment options of spontaneous pneumothorax.

An apical subpleural bleb is most common pathology of primary spontaneous pneumothorax however, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is most common cause of secondary spontaneous pneumothorax. The diagnosis is confirmed by physical examination, chest radiography and thoracoscopic examination. The typical person who present has an asthenic body, being taller and thinner than the average person.

Accessory liver lobe in the left thoracic cavity.

Accessory liver of the thoracic cavity is usually asymptomatic, and its incidental detection is extremely rare. In this study, an unusual case of an accessory liver lobe of the thoracic cavity in a 26-year-old woman is described. A chest roentgenogram and thoracic computed tomographic scan revealed a mass in the left thoracic cavity.