Impact of Pleural Thickness on Occurrence of Postoperative Complications in Patients with Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma.

OBJECTIVES: The rates of postoperative mortality and morbidity are high in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Therefore, it is important to identify variables that increase the risk of postoperative complications. Pleural thickness has recently been identified as a prognostic indicator in patients with MPM. The aim of this study was to investigate clinical variables, including pleural thickness, that contribute to postoperative complications in patients with MPM. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 47 patients who underwent surgical excision of MPM between 2005 and 2021 were enrolled in this study. Correlations between postoperative complications within 90 days of surgery and preoperative clinical factors were investigated. RESULTS: A total of 27 patients underwent extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP), and the remaining 20 underwent pleurectomy/decortication (P/D). Macroscopic complete resections were obtained in all but three patients. Of the 47 patients, 23 (49%) experienced postoperative complications of grade 3 or worse. The major complication in patients with EPP was respiratory failure (n = 6), whereas the major complication in patients with P/D was prolonged air leakage (n = 7). Univariate logistic regression analysis found a correlation between postoperative complications and age, surgical side, and pleural thickness, while multivariate logistic regression analysis found surgical side (p = 0.04, 95% Cl 1.10-21.71, OR 4.90) and pleural thickness (p = 0.03, 95% Cl 1.21-23.00, OR 5.26) to significantly influence the occurrence of postoperative complications. CONCLUSIONS: Pleural thickness has a significant effect on the occurrence of postoperative complications. Patients with thick pleura on the right side are at greater risk of postoperative complications.

[Robot-assisted Extended Thymectomy via a Bilateral Approach for Patients with Myasthenia Gravis].

Extended thymectomy is a procedure to remove the thymus gland and surrounding adipose tissue, while the traditional approach via a median sternotomy, minimally invasive approaches such as video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) and robot-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (RATS) have been adopted. This report described the technique of bilateral approach for extended thymectomy in patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) by robot-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, and also showed the perioperative outcomes and postoperative exacerbation rates of 11 patients. In most patients, score of MG symptom were reduced and levels of anti-acetylcholine receptor antibodies declined postoperatively. In a small number of cases, the safety and efficacy of a RATS bilateral approach for extended thymectomy were confirmed.

A bilateral approach to extended thymectomy using the da Vinci Surgical System for patients with myasthenia gravis.

PURPOSE: We adopted a bilateral approach to complete robotic extended thymectomy with the excision of the pericardial fat tissue from both sides and analyzed the initial outcomes. METHODS: The patient cart was docked first from the left shoulder side. After dissection of the thymus and right pericardial fat tissue, the cart was temporarily rolled out, and the bed was rotated approximately 90° clockwise. The cart was then re-docked from the right-side shoulder, and extended thymectomy was performed via the left-side approach. The outcomes were compared with four cases of unilateral approach performed for mediastinal tumor in the same term. RESULTS: Four patients with myasthenia gravis (two of whom had stage I thymoma) underwent extended thymectomy by the bilateral approach. The mean operative time was 288 min, and the console time was 146 min in the right side and 67 min in the left side. The resected thymus and surrounding adipose tissue were almost symmetrical, in contrast with those obtained via the unilateral approach. No remarkable events were noted. CONCLUSION: Bilateral extended thymectomy for myasthenia gravis patients was safe and reasonable based on the initial outcomes.