The SUPER reporting guideline suggested for reporting of surgical technique: explanation and elaboration.

Background: Surgical technique plays an essential role in achieving good health outcomes. However, the quality of surgical technique reporting remains heterogeneous. Reporting checklists could help authors to describe the surgical technique more transparently and effectively, as well as to assist reviewers and editors evaluate it more informatively, and promote readers to better understand the technique.

National lung cancer screening program feasibility study in Estonia.

Objectives: The main aim of the lung cancer screening (LCS) feasibility study was to investigate the plausibility of and bottlenecks to systematic enrolment in family physician practices by evaluating all their patients.

Methods: In 3 family physician practices, for each individual born in 1947-1966 (target age group 55-74 years), information on ever smoking was gathered by a family physician/nurse. All current and ex-smokers were invited to an 'LCS visit'.

Thoracic surgery in Estonia.

Estonia, a small Northern European country with the population of 1.3 million, has two centres of thoracic surgery, both established in 1960s. One is in the capital Tallinn, and another in the university town Tartu.

Lung transplantation for acute respiratory distress syndrome: a retrospective European cohort study.

Background: The published experience of lung transplantation in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the contemporary results of lung transplantation attempts in ARDS in major European centres.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective multicentre cohort study of all patients listed for lung transplantation between 2011 and 2019.

Patterns of survival and surgical treatment in lung cancer patients in Estonia by histologic type and stage, 1996-2016.

Lung cancer (LC) remains the most frequent cause of cancer death worldwide. We aimed to examine long-term trends in LC survival in Estonia by age, gender, histologic type and stage, with specific focus on surgical treatment. Data on all incident cases of LC diagnosed from 1996 to 2016 were obtained from the Estonian Cancer Registry.

Prognostic Factors in Early-stage NSCLC: Analysis of the Placebo Group in the MAGRIT Study.

Background/aim: The analysis of prognostic factors is important to identify determinants of disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in resected non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Patients And Methods: We examined baseline characteristics associated with DFS and OS among 757 patients with resected, histologically proven, MAGE-A3-positive Stage IB-IIIA NSCLC assigned to placebo in the MAGRIT study (NCT00480025). We explored characteristics of NSCLC that could predict DFS and OS using Cox regression models.

Achieving Thoracic Oncology data collection in Europe: a precursor study in 35 Countries.

Background: A minority of European countries have participated in international comparisons with high level data on lung cancer. However, the nature and extent of data collection across the continent is simply unknown, and without accurate data collection it is not possible to compare practice and set benchmarks to which lung cancer services can aspire.

Methods: Using an established network of lung cancer specialists in 37 European countries, a survey was distributed in December 2014.

Surgically treated lung cancer patients: do they all smoke and would they all have been detected with lung cancer screening?

Since publication of the National Lung Cancer Screening Trial (NLST) results early lung cancer detection has been widely studied, targeting individuals based on smoking history and age. However, over recent decades several changes in lung cancer epidemiology, including risk factors, have taken place. The aim of the current study was to explore smoking prevalence among lung cancer patients who had been treated surgically or undergone a diagnostic operation and whether these patients would have met the NLST inclusion criteria.

Isolated Mediastinal Lymphadenopathy Caused by Rhodococcus equi Infection.

Mediastinal lymphadenopathy is common finding in thoracic surgery, and it often requires morphologic confirmation to establish the definitive diagnosis. The most frequent diagnoses are metastatic lung cancer, sarcoidosis, lymphoma, tuberculosis, and other causes of granulomatous infections. Rhodococcus equi is a rare pathogen in humans that mostly affects immunocompromised patients.

Resection of unicentric interlobar Castleman disease with following adjuvant radiotherapy.

A 22-year-old female patient with rare interlobar unicentric Castleman disease is presented. The tumour was discovered incidentally and thoracoscopic biopsy was planned to rule out malignancy. Due to dense adhesions to the adjacent anatomical structures and diffuse bleeding when mobilizing the tumour, a thoracoscopic approach was converted to thoracotomy.

Prospective study of percutaneous tracheostomy: Role of bronchoscopy and surgical technique.

Objective: Percutaneous tracheostomy is a common procedure but varies considerably in approach. The aim of our study was to evaluate the need for intraoperative bronchoscopy and to compare various surgical techniques.

Methods: During 1 year all percutaneous tracheostomies in three intensive care units were prospectively documented according to a unified protocol.

Pulmonary intravascular talcosis mimicking miliary tuberculosis in an intravenous drug addict.

Pulmonary foreign body granulomatosis following intravenous administration of medications meant for oral use among drug addicts has been occasionally reported. This condition is often misdiagnosed because of its rarity, but rather due to its similarity to other pulmonary diseases that are more common. Here we report a case of pulmonary intravascular talcosis mimicking miliary tuberculosis in a young male intravenous drug addict from North-Eastern Estonia, known as a hotspot for tuberculosis and drug misuse.

Long-term follow-up after thoracoscopic resection of solitary pulmonary tuberculoma.

Background: Pulmonary tuberculosis continues to be a significant health problem, especially due to increasing incidence of multi-resistant mycobacteria and patients with immunodeficiency. Pulmonary tuberculoma, like other solitary lung nodules, can often be a diagnostic challenge; moreover no consensus exists on the management strategy.

Aim: To analyze the results of tuberculoma treatment with thoracoscopic lung resection, followed by anti-tuberculosis treatment (ATT).

Pharyngoesophageal diverticulum perforation 18 years after anterior cervical fixation.

Anterior cervical spinal surgery can lead to various complications. We hereby present a case of two rare complications combined-pharyngo-oesophageal diverticulum and its perforation after cervical plate dislodgement. A 53-year old male patient presented with progressive dysphagia 18 years after anterior cervical spinal fusion with tricortical bone graft and custom-made plate at the C6/7 level.

Detection rate of lung cancer among chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients regularly followed up by pulmonary physicians.

Background:   Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has been found to be an independent risk factor for lung cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether regular follow up of COPD patients increases the diagnosis of lung cancer at an early stage.

Methods:   Case reports of 105 male moderate to severe COPD patients who participated in a clinical study were analyzed retrospectively.

Life expectancy of patients with malignant pleural effusion treated with video-assisted thoracoscopic talc pleurodesis.

The aim of the current study was to analyse postoperative complications and survival after video-assisted thoracoscopic (VATS) talc pleurodesis for malignant pleural effusion. All patients with morphologically proven malignant pleural effusion who underwent VATS talc pleurodesis from November 1995 to November 2002 were included in retrospective analysis. VATS was performed in general anaesthesia and 5 g of asbestos-free talc was insufflated into the pleural cavity.

Effect of intrapleural streptokinase administration on antistreptokinase antibody level in patients with loculated pleural effusions.

Background: Streptokinase is widely used IV for the treatment of myocardial infarction and intrapleurally for the treatment of loculated pleural effusions. IV administration of streptokinase is known to cause the production of antistreptokinase antibodies.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the intrapleural administration of streptokinase results in a similar elevation of the serum antistreptokinase antibody level.