Imaging Classification of Constipation.

Objectives: The diagnosis of patients with chronic constipation is very complicated. This study aimed to develop a simple imaging classification for the diagnosis of chronic constipation by abdominal computed tomography (CT).

Methods: Sixty-two patients who underwent abdominal CT in our hospital between January and June 2022 were enrolled.

Duration of antimicrobial therapy after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for thoracic empyema and complicated parapneumonic effusion: A single-center study.

Background: There are no evidence-based reports on the proper duration of antimicrobial therapy following video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery debridement (VATS-D) in thoracic empyema (TE) or complicated parapneumonic effusion (PPE). This study aimed to investigate the optimal duration of antimicrobial therapy after VATS-D.

Methods: Between January 2011 and December 2019, 33 patients corresponding to American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) category 3 or 4 undergoing VATS-D were included.

Appropriate Antibiotic Selection during the in-hospital Waiting Period for Surgery for Appendicitis.

Objectives: Acute appendicitis is a common disease that often requires emergency surgery. However, recently, not all cases are treated as an urgent operation, but surgery may be delayed to when medical resources are abundant to perform the operation safely. In such cases, preoperative antibiotics are administered during the waiting period.

Mediastinal and Hilar Lymph Node Metastases from Renal Cell Carcinoma with Concomitant Lung Carcinoma: A Rare Case with Unique Diagnostic Challenges.

A 75-year-old man presented to our hospital 1 year after partial renal resection for clear cell carcinoma. A right lower lobe lung nodule noted at the time of surgery had increased to 3.0 cm in diameter and was confirmed as squamous cell lung carcinoma by bronchoscopic cytology.

Tumor Screening, Incidence, and Treatment for Patients with Severe Motor and Intellectual Disabilities.

Background: The increasing age of patients with severe motor and intellectual disabilities (SMID) has become a serious concern. Few studies have investigated tumor treatment in this population.

Methods: Tumor treatments for 12 SMID patients were examined.

Quality of life after partial lung resection with uniportal versus 3-port video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery: a prospective randomized controlled study.

Purpose: The effect of uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (uni-VATS) versus that of conventional VATS on postoperative quality of life (QOL) is unclear. This prospective randomized controlled study compared uni-VATS and conventional 3-port VATS in terms of QOL and patient satisfaction.

Methods: The subjects of this study were 84 patients with pulmonary nodules or bullous formation, randomized to undergo uniportal or conventional 3-port video-assisted thoracoscopic partial lung resection.

A case of thoracic endometriosis-related pneumothorax in a menopausal woman.

Thoracic endometriosis-related pneumothorax (TERP) or thoracic endometriosis syndrome (TES) usually occurs in women of childbearing age and affects the right thorax. Menopausal and left-sided cases are rare. A case of left-sided TERP in a postmenopausal woman after adjuvant endocrine therapy for breast cancer is reported.

Hoarseness after radical surgery with systematic lymph node dissection for primary lung cancer.

Objectives: Radical surgery with systematic upper mediastinal node dissection for primary lung cancer can cause recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) paralysis, but this is poorly reported.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical data for consecutive patients who underwent radical surgery for primary lung cancer with an observation period of at least 12 months. During follow-up, hoarseness and vocal fold movement were assessed clinically and laryngoscopically, respectively.

Two Young Women with Left-sided Pneumothorax Due to Thoracic Endometriosis.

Pneumothorax associated with thoracic endometriosis (TE) generally occurs in women around 30 years old and it usually affects the right pleural cavity. We herein report two cases of TE associated with left-sided pneumothorax in young women. The prevalence of TE in younger patients may be underestimated if these cases are treated as spontaneous pneumothorax.

Thoracic Empyema Caused by Percutaneous Transhepatic Gallbladder Drainage.

Percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage (PTGBD) is an alternative to emergency laparoscopic cholecystectomy in high-risk patients with acute cholecystitis. Severe complications of this procedure are rare, except for drainage tube-related complications. A case of thoracic empyema, which is a rare complication of PTGBD, is reported; penetration of the pleural cavity seemed to be the cause of the thoracic empyema.

Postcardiac injury syndrome following vascular interventional radiofrequency ablation for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

Postcardiac injury syndrome (PCIS) occurs following a pericardial or myocardial injury. On the other hand, PCIS following cardiac catheter intervention is rare and can be difficult to diagnose because of its delayed onset. A 24-year-old man underwent radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and suffered from general fatigue and left-sided pleural effusion three months after the procedure.

A Case of Mediastinal Granular Cell Tumor with Horner's Syndrome.

Granular cell tumor (GCT) is found in various organs but is rare in the mediastinum. We report a case of mediastinal GCT in a 19-year-old woman who presented with left ptosis and miosis. CT and MRI revealed a 29-mm well-circumscribed tumor located close to the first thoracic vertebra with features suggesting a neurogenic tumor.

[Successful treatment of chronic empyema by the omentopexy after aggressive nutritional support].

Since general thoracic surgery requires a short fasting period, the number of cases that require nutrition support after surgery is limited and few reports exist about nutrition in general thoracic surgery and chronic empyema. Here we report 2 cases of chronic empyema treated with nutritional support team (NST) followed by omentopexy. For chronic empyema, a long period is required to sterilize the thoracic cavity by closed or open drainage before radical treatment.

Usefulness of laparoscopic subtotal cholecystectomy with operative cholangiography for severe cholecystitis.

Purpose: Cholecystectomy can become hazardous when inflammation develops, leading to anatomical changes in Calot's triangle. We attempted to study the safety and efficacy of laparoscopic subtotal cholecystectomy (LSC) to decrease the incidence of complications and the rate of conversion to open surgery.

Methods: Patients who underwent LSC between January 2005 and December 2008 were evaluated retrospectively.

A case report of tuberculous abscess of the chest wall accompanied with pulmonary carcinoma.

With the decreasing incidence of tuberculosis (TB), tuberculous abscess of the chest wall (TACW) is becoming rare. Pulmonary carcinoma coexisting with pulmonary TB has been reported in the past, but reports of pulmonary TB accompanied with TACW are scarce. We present the first case of a 66-year-old male with TACW accompanied with pulmonary carcinoma.

Postpericardiotomy syndrome after thymothymectomy: report of two cases.

Two cases of postpericardiotomy syndrome (PPS) after thymothymectomy associated with pericardiotomy are described. The incidence of PPS in cardiac operations is reportedly 10-30%. Although no reports have been described in the English literature, our retrospective analysis revealed similar incidents following mediastinal tumor operation associated with pericardiotomy in cardiac surgery.

Successful resection of a massive mediastinal liposarcoma that rapidly extended into the entire left thoracic cavity: report of a case.

Primary mediastinal liposarcomas are rare malignancies, comprising fewer than 1% of all mediastinal tumors. We herein report a radical resection of a massive liposarcoma arising from the anterior mediastinum. A 63-year-old male patient presented with a 4-week history of dyspnea that had worsened over the previous several days.

Metachronous intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm with carcinoma in situ of the pancreas arising within a short interval: report of a case.

A 61-year-old man with an intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) and carcinoma in situ (CIS) of the pancreatic body initially underwent a distal pancreatectomy. Postoperative follow-up included computed tomography (CT) and ultrasonography (US) every 6 months. Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm of the pancreatic head was diagnosed 17 months later using peroral pancreatoscopy (POPS) including a biopsy, revealing IPMN with highly dysplastic changes.

Feasibility of chemohyperthermia with docetaxel-embedded magnetoliposomes as minimally invasive local treatment for cancer.

Hyperthermia is a minimally invasive approach to cancer treatment, but it is difficult to heat only the tumor without damaging surrounding tissue. To solve this problem, we studied the effectiveness of chemohyperthermia with docetaxel-embedded magnetoliposomes (DMLs) and an applied alternating current (AC) magnetic field. Human MKN45 gastric cancer cells were implanted in the hind limb of Balb-c/nu/nu mice.

Development of a second-generation radiofrequency ablation using sintered MgFe(2)O(4) needles and alternating magnetic field for human cancer therapy.

Magnetic metal particles are known to induce heat energy under an alternating magnetic field (AMF). We developed a local tumor-heating device incorporating an MgFe(2)O(4) needle for the purpose of mild ablation for cancer treatment. A needle made from sintered MgFe(2)O(4) particles was embedded in the hepatic or breast tumors.

Esophageal cancer resection associated with a right aortic arch after descending aortic graft replacement.

Right aortic arch is a rare abnormality. Esophageal cancer associated with a vascular ring is even more rare. We describe a patient with right aortic arch who had previously undergone a graft replacement of descending aorta for aneurysmal rupture followed by subsequent surgery for advanced esophageal cancer.

Repeated inductive heating using a sintered MgFe2O4 needle for minimally invasive local control in breast cancer therapy.

Purpose: This study investigated the efficacy of repeated thermotherapy for breast cancer utilising a novel sintered MgFe(2)O(4) needle and alternating current (AC) magnetic field in xenograft animal models mimicking human breast cancer.

Materials And Methods: A sintered MgFe(2)O(4) needle and an apparatus to apply an AC magnetic field were prepared for this study. Animals bearing BT-474 tumours (mean (+/-standard deviation) volume, 471 +/- 153 mm(3)) were divided into four groups.

Adenoendocrine carcinoma of the accessory papilla of the duodenum: report of a case.

This report describes a very rare case of an adenoendocrine carcinoma of the accessory papilla of the duodenum. A 70-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital complaining of epigastralgia. Gastrointestinal endoscopy showed a protruding tumor with ulceration at the accessory papilla of the duodenum.

[Collagen gel droplet-embedded culture drug sensitivity test in human breast cancer].

The efficacy of the collagen gel droplet-embedded culture drug sensitivity test (CD-DST) was estimated clinically among breast cancer patients to select a rational chemotherapy. Twenty-five specimens of breast cancer (n=21) or lymph nodes (n=4) were investigated. Four anticancer drugs (5-Fluorouracil, Adriamycin (ADM), Docetaxel (DOC), Paclitaxel (PTX)) were estimated for CD-DST.

Novel tumor-ablation device for liver tumors utilizing heat energy generated under an alternating magnetic field.

Background And Aims: We have developed a novel tumor-ablation device for liver tumors utilizing heat energy induced by magnesium ferrite (MgFe(2)O(4)) particles under an alternating magnetic field (AMF) produced by electric currents. This novel device can repeatedly heat liver tumors at lower temperature than usual heating devices, such as radiofrequency ablation therapy, with slight infliction of pain. This study assesses its heating effect on rat liver tumors as local therapy.