Thoracoscopic right upper lobectomy in a patient with displaced posterior segmental bronchus and vascular abnormalities: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Displaced posterior segmental bronchus (B2) accompanied by anomalous pulmonary vessels is a very rare condition. There is a risk of unexpected injuries to bronchi and blood vessels when patients with such anomalies undergo surgery for lung cancer, especially thoracoscopic surgery. METHODS: We reported a case of thoracoscopic right upper lobectomy in a patient with a displaced B2 and pulmonary vascular variation. RESULTS: A 74-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with a 2.2 cm × 2.1 cm nodule in the right lung. Three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) revealed the combined apical/anterior segmental branch (B1 + 3) taken off the beginning of the right main bronchus (RMB), at the level of the carina. The displaced B2 taken off the end of the RMB. The anomalous central vein (CV), which passed between B2 and B1 + 3, ran dorsal to the main pulmonary artery (MPA) and directly into the left atrium. The patient consequently underwent uniportal thoracoscopic right upper lobectomy and mediastinal lymph node dissection. The intraoperative findings were completely consistent with 3D-CT. CONCLUSIONS: This paper reports a case of a displaced B2 combined with right upper pulmonary vessels malformation. Under the guidance of 3D-CT, the right upper lobectomy was successfully completed by single hole thoracoscopic surgery.

Using the Hand-Sewn Purse-String Stapled Anastomotic Technique for Minimally Invasive Ivor Lewis Esophagectomy.

BACKGROUND: Minimally invasive Ivor Lewis esophagectomy (MIILE) is increasingly being used in the treatment of middle or lower esophageal cancer. Hand-sewn purse-string stapled anastomosis is a classic approach in open esophagectomy. However, this procedure is technically difficult under thoracoscopy. The hardest part is delivering the anvil into the esophageal stump. Herein, we report an approach to performing this step under thoracoscopy. METHODS: A total of 257 consecutive patients who underwent MIILE between April 2013 and July 2017 were analyzed retrospectively. The operator hand sewed the purse string using silk thread under thoracoscopy, and the 25-mm circular stapler was passed through the anterior axillary line at the fourth intercostal space to finish the side-to-end gastroesophageal anastomosis. Patient demographics, intraoperative data, postoperative complications were evaluated. RESULTS: The mean operative time, thoracoscopy time, and anvil fixation time was 307.0 ± 34.3, 155.4 ± 21.5, and 7.1 ± 1.6 minute, respectively. The anastomotic leak and anastomotic stricture occurred in 6.6% (17 of 257) and 3.9% (10 of 257) of patients, respectively. There was no intraoperative death; one case was death of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) for conduit gastric leakage on the 21st postoperative day. CONCLUSION: Using the hand-sewn purse-string stapled anastomotic technique for MIILE is feasible and relatively safe in patients with middle or lower esophageal cancer.

Operation for huge subclavian artery aneurysm: a case report.

Subclavian artery aneurysm is extremely rare, and further aneurysm compressing trachea and leading to breathing difficulty is more exceptional. The most common causes of subclavian artery aneurysm are atherosclerosis, trauma and post-stenotic dilated aneurysm secondary to thoracic outlet syndrome, besides, the rare causes include infective, syphilitic media necrosis and so on. We present a case report in which the patient presented with sever dyspnea due to compression of trachea by a 7 cm large subclavian artery aneurysm. After operation, the patient improved symptomatically. The blood pressure remained stable, blood circulation of right upper extremity was fine, and pulse was improved comparing with that before operation. Chest film confirmed tumor shrank and depressed trachea improved significantly. The patient was discharged 14 days later and continued anticoagulant therapy after discharge. Follow up one month later after the operation revealed breathing difficulty disappeared, and patient was with normal right upper extremity movement and good blood circulation.