Osteo-cartilaginous pain syndromes at the chest wall: results of costal cartilage excision.

Background: Various pathologies of the lower ribs may lead to potentially severe pain in a heterogenous group of patients. Costal cartilage excision (CCE) has been shown to result in durable pain relief in some patients. Even though literature is scarce, we reviewed our experience with surgically treated osteo-cartilaginous pain syndromes (OCPSs) of the chest wall.

A Barrier to Defend - Models of Pulmonary Barrier to Study Acute Inflammatory Diseases.

Pulmonary diseases represent four out of ten most common causes for worldwide mortality. Thus, pulmonary infections with subsequent inflammatory responses represent a major public health concern. The pulmonary barrier is a vulnerable entry site for several stress factors, including pathogens such as viruses, and bacteria, but also environmental factors e.

Surgical stabilization of serial rib fractures is advantageous in patients with relevant traumatic brain injury.

Purpose: To evaluate the clinical benefit of surgical stabilization of rib fractures (SSRF) in polytrauma patients with serial rib fractures.

Methods: Retrospective single-center cohort analysis in trauma patients. Serial rib fracture was defined as three consecutive ribs confirmed by chest computer tomography (CT).

Redistribution of pulmonary ventilation after lung surgery detected with electrical impedance tomography.

Background: Regional ventilation of the lung can be visualized by pulmonary electrical impedance tomography (EIT). The aim of this study was to examine the post-operative redistribution of regional ventilation after lung surgery dependent on the side of surgery and its association with forced vital capacity.

Methods: In this prospective, observational cohort study 13 patients undergoing right and 13 patients undergoing left-sided open or video-thoracoscopic procedures have been investigated.