Publications by authors named "Sharbel Azzam"

: Robotic and thoracoscopic surgery are being increasingly adopted as minimally invasive alternatives to open sternotomy for complete thymectomy. The superior maneuverability range and three-dimensional magnified vision are potential ergonomical advantages of robotic surgery. To compare the ergonomic characteristics of robotic versus thoracoscopic thymectomy, a previously developed scoring system based on impartial findings was employed.

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Background: Giant lung bullae (GLB) are rare, and the only currently available management involves either an open surgical resection (thoracotomy) or the newer minimally invasive resection consisting of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). The aim of our study was to evaluate the possible influence of GLBs pulmonary attachment on patient's post-operative complications.

Methods: A retrospective analysis included all consecutive patients with GLBs who underwent bullae's surgical resection from 7/2007 to 12/2018.

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Background: Blood transfusion rates during surgery and hospitalization for thoracic surgery vary from 16% to 55%. The religious beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses (JW) permit medical and surgical procedures but exclude the use of blood and blood products. Performing major pulmonary resection without the possibility of compensating for blood loss is a daunting challenge that few surgeons are willing to meet.

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Background: The highly contagious COVID-19 has created unprecedented challenges in providing care to patients with resectable non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). Surgical management now needs to consider the risks of malignant disease progression by delaying surgery, and those of COVID-19 transmission to patients and operating room staff. The goal of our study was to describe our experience in providing both emergent and elective surgical procedures for patients with NSCLC during the COVID-19 pandemic in Israel, and to present our point of view regarding the safety of performing lung cancer surgery.

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The aim of this study was to identify predictors of postoperative outcome and survival of locally advanced non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) resections after neoadjuvant chemotherapy or chemoradiation. Medical records of all patients with clinical stage III potentially resectable NSCLC initially treated by neoadjuvant chemotherapy or chemoradiation followed by major pulmonary resections were retrieved from the databases of four Israeli Medical Centers between 1999 to 2019. The 124 suitable patients included, 86 males (69.

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Primary Spontaneous Pneumothorax (PSP) refers to air in the pleural cavity occurring in the absence of overt underlining pulmonary disease. Smoking is an important predisposing factor for PSP. Once PSP is diagnosed the size of the PSP should be assessed according to a chest radiogram.

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Objective: Video-assisted thoracic surgery lobectomy (VATS-L) has become accepted as a safe and effective procedure to treat early-stage non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). However, the advantages of VATS-L compared with lobectomy by thoracotomy (TL) remain controversial. The aim of this study was to compare the outcomes of patients who underwent VATS-L with those who underwent TL.

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