Long-term outcomes after chest wall resection and repair with titanium bars and sternal plates.

Objectives: En-bloc complete resection remains the treatment of choice for localized chest wall (CW) tumors. Titanium bars reconstruction demonstrated encouraging results with satisfactory early outcomes. However, long-term outcomes remain under-reported. The purpose of this study is to evaluate long-term outcomes after CW resection and repair with titanium devices. Methods: From June 2012 to December 2018, we retrospectively reviewed all patients with CW tumors who underwent surgical resection and repair using titanium. Long-term outcomes were assessed. Results: We identified 87 patients who underwent CW tumor resections and titanium reconstruction. Sixty-eight patients were included in the study (excluding benign tumors, Pancoast tumors, palliative surgeries, or clavicle reconstruction). There were 29 sarcomas, 20 isolated CW metastases, eight lung cancers, four breast cancers, three thymic malignancies, two sarcomatoid mesothelioma, and one desmoid tumor. Complete resection was achieved in 64 patients (94%), while R1 resection in four patients (6%). Resection involved one rib in two patients, two ribs in thirteen, three ribs in eighteen, four ribs in nine, five ribs in two, seven ribs in one, partial sternum in fifteen, and full sternum in sixteen patients. No patient experienced flail chest. The 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year overall survival rates and disease-free survivals were 82.3%, 61.4%,57.3%, and 67.6%,57.3%,52.6%, respectively. Surgical site infection occurred in 18% (n = 12) of cases. Eleven of twelve patients had an early infection (<1 year), which required material removal in six patients. Asymptomatic connector unsealing occurred in 6% (n = 4), with only one re-intervention. Titanium allergy has never been reported. Chronic chest pain (lasting more than 3 months after surgery, with daily use of pain killer) was reported in 24% of patients. Conclusion: CW resections with titanium reconstruction are associated with long-term survivors. Titanium devices were safe, reliable, and achieved satisfactory oncological results with low morbidity and implant-related complication rates.

Preservation of Organs to Be Transplanted: An Essential Step in the Transplant Process.

Organ transplantation remains the treatment of last resort in case of failure of a vital organ (lung, liver, heart, intestine) or non-vital organ (essentially the kidney and pancreas) for which supplementary treatments exist. It remains the best alternative both in terms of quality-of-life and life expectancy for patients and of public health expenditure. Unfortunately, organ shortage remains a widespread issue, as on average only about 25% of patients waiting for an organ are transplanted each year. This situation has led to the consideration of recent donor populations (deceased by brain death with extended criteria or deceased after circulatory arrest). These organs are sensitive to the conditions of conservation during the ischemia phase, which have an impact on the graft's short- and long-term fate. This evolution necessitates a more adapted management of organ donation and the optimization of preservation conditions. In this general review, the different aspects of preservation will be considered. Initially done by hypothermia with the help of specific solutions, preservation is evolving with oxygenated perfusion, in hypothermia or normothermia, aiming at maintaining tissue metabolism. Preservation time is also becoming a unique evaluation window to predict organ quality, allowing repair and/or optimization of recipient choice.

Pulmonary thromboendarterectomy: The Marie Lannelongue Hospital experience.

Background: Targeted medical therapy and balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) entered the field of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) treatment in the early 2010's. Multimodal therapy is emerging as the new gold standard for CTEPH management. Whether this change of paradigm impacted early outcomes of pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) remains unknown. Our aim is to report our surgical experience in the era of CTEPH multimodal management. Methods: Patients who underwent PEA between 2016 and 2020 were included in the study. Early outcomes were described and compared between three groups of patients: PEA alone, PEA after targeted medical therapy induction and PEA after BPA. Results: A total of 418 patients, 225 males and 193 females, with a mean age of 59±14 years were included in the study. 336 patients underwent PEA alone, 69 after medical targeted therapy induction and 13 after unilateral BPA. Baseline preoperative pulmonary vascular resistance [4.99 (IQR, 1.71-8.48), 6.21 (IQR, 4.37-8.1), 5.03 (IQR, 4.44-7.19) wood units (WU), P=0.230, respectively] and PEA effectiveness [% decrease mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP), 24 (IQR, 7-42), 25 (IQR, 7-35), 23 (IQR, 3-29), P=0.580] did not differ between groups. Compared to PEA alone and PEA+BPA, the medical therapy induction group represented the most challenging group with higher baseline mPAP (45±10 vs. 42±11 and 43±11 mmHg, P=0.047), longer circulatory arrest time (30.1±15 vs. 26.6±10 and 19.6±6 min, P=0.005), higher post-PEA extracorporeal membrane oxygenation use (20.6% vs. 8.7 and 9.1%, P=0.004), higher duration on mechanical ventilation [4 (IQR, 1-12) vs. 1 (IQR, 0.5-5) and 2 (IQR, 1-3) days, P=0.005], higher complication rate (85.5% vs. 74.6% and 76.9%, P=0.052) and higher 90-day mortality (13% vs. 3.9% and 0%, P=0.002). Compared to PEA and PEA+ medical therapy induction groups, patients in the BPA induction group were older [72 (IQR, 62-76) vs. 60 (IQR, 48-69) and 62 (IQR, 52-72) years, P=0.005], and underwent shorter cardiopulmonary bypass (191.9±47.9 vs. 222±107.2 and 236.8±46.4 min, P<0.001), aortic cross clamping (54.8±21 vs. 82.7±31.4 and 80.1±32.9 min, P=0.002) and circulatory arrest time (19.6±6.2 vs. 26.6±10.8 and 30.1±15.1 min, P=0.008). Conclusions: Multimodal therapy approach to CTEPH patients did not affect effectiveness of PEA. Medical therapy and BPA could act in synergy with surgery to treat more challenging patients.

Outcomes after pulmonary lobectomy in patients with history of head and neck carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to determine whether video assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) was associated with better short-term outcomes compared to open approach and to determine factors affecting long term survival after lobectomy in patients with history of head and neck carcinoma (HNC). METHODS: We performed a retrospective monocentric analysis of consecutive standard lobectomies performed for lung cancer in patients with history of HNC between 2010 and 2017. Patients' characteristics, surgical approach, lung tumor histology, in-hospital and 90-days morbi-mortality and long term survival were analyzed; VATS and open lobectomy groups were compared. RESULTS: Among 85 patients, 52 underwent an open lobectomy and 33 a VATS lobectomy. There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding age, preoperative characteristics, pathology and stage of lung cancer (All p = NS). In the VATS group, there was a significant decrease in proportion of in-hospital postoperative life-threatening complications requiring hospitalization in intensive care unit (12/52 vs. 1/33, p = 0.01). The 90-days postoperative comprehensive complication index was significantly increased in the open thoracotomy group (median (interquartile range):33.5 (0-53.5) vs. 8.7 (0-34.1), p = 0.018). Long term survival was not significantly different between the 2 groups - Log-rank test comparison, p = NS). Patients with squamous cell histology presented a significantly poorer survival (both Log-rank test comparison, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Minimally invasive approach improved in-hospital and 90-days outcomes compared to open surgery for lung cancer resection in patients with history of HNC. The poor long-term results in patients with squamous cell carcinoma highlight the need to improve therapeutic strategies for this subset of patients.

Fully Integrated Quantitative Multiparametric Analysis of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer at 3-T PET/MRI: Toward One-Stop-Shop Tumor Biological Characterization at the Supervoxel Level.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to study the feasibility of a fully integrated multiparametric imaging framework to characterize non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) at 3-T PET/MRI. PATIENTS AND METHODS: An 18F-FDG PET/MRI multiparametric imaging framework was developed and prospectively applied to 11 biopsy-proven NSCLC patients. For each tumor, 12 parametric maps were generated, including PET full kinetic modeling, apparent diffusion coefficient, T1/T2 relaxation times, and DCE full kinetic modeling. Gaussian mixture model-based clustering was applied at the whole data set level to define supervoxels of similar multidimensional PET/MRI behaviors. Taking the multidimensional voxel behaviors as input and the supervoxel class as output, machine learning procedure was finally trained and validated voxelwise to reveal the dominant PET/MRI characteristics of these supervoxels at the whole data set and individual tumor levels. RESULTS: The Gaussian mixture model-based clustering clustering applied at the whole data set level (17,316 voxels) found 3 main multidimensional behaviors underpinned by the 12 PET/MRI quantitative parameters. Four dominant PET/MRI parameters of clinical relevance (PET: k2, k3 and DCE: ve, vp) predicted the overall supervoxel behavior with 97% of accuracy (SD, 0.7; 10-fold cross-validation). At the individual tumor level, these dimensionality-reduced supervoxel maps showed mean discrepancy of 16.7% compared with the original ones. CONCLUSIONS: One-stop-shop PET/MRI multiparametric quantitative analysis of NSCLC is clinically feasible. Both PET and MRI parameters are useful to characterize the behavior of tumors at the supervoxel level. In the era of precision medicine, the full capabilities of PET/MRI would give further insight of the characterization of NSCLC behavior, opening new avenues toward image-based personalized medicine in this field.

Superior vena cava prosthetic replacement for non-small cell lung cancer: is it worthwhile?

OBJECTIVES: Direct involvement of the superior vena cava (SVC) by non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) requires en-bloc tumour resection with complete vascular clamping and prosthetic replacement. We report the outcomes of this highly demanding procedure in the largest patient cohort to date. METHODS: We searched our institution's database for patients who underwent complete en-bloc resection of NSCLC invading the SVC followed by prosthetic SVC replacement, between 1980 and 2018. Patients with cN2, cN3 or distant metastases were not eligible. RESULTS: We identified 48 patients (38 males, 10 females; mean age of 57 years; tumour size, 1.9-17 cm). Neoadjuvant therapy was administered to 17 and adjuvant therapy to 31 patients. R0 resection was achieved in 41 (85%) patients; lymph node involvement was pN0 in 8, pN1 in 23, pN2 in 14 and pN3 in 3 patients. Five patients died within 30 days of surgery. Right pneumonectomy was significantly associated with postoperative death (P = 0.02). Postoperative complications developed in 13 other patients. No neurologic events related to SVC clamping occurred. Graft thrombosis developed in 2 patients. Median survival was 24 months; 3-, 5- and 10-year survival rates were 45%, 40% and 35%, respectively; and corresponding disease-free survival rates were 37%, 37% and 30%, respectively. By univariable analysis, only margin-free (R0) resection was associated with better survival (P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: In highly selected patients with NSCLC involving the SVC, mortality is acceptable after complete en-bloc resection and prosthetic replacement done in an expert centre. SVC involvement should not preclude consideration of curative resection in selected patients.

Surgical Resection of Tumors Invading the Inferior Vena Cava at the Hepatic Vein and Thoracic Levels.

BACKGROUND: Our aim was to describe the results of our program of surgical resection of tumors invading the inferior vena cava (IVC) at the hepatic and thoracic levels. We hypothesized that similar surgical outcomes may be obtained compared to tumor resection below the hepatic vein level if the liver function was preserved. METHODS: We performed a single-center retrospective study of 72 consecutive patients who underwent surgical resection from 1996 to 2019 for tumors invading the IVC. We compared two groups based on tumor location below (group I/II) or above (group III/IV) the inferior limit of hepatic veins. RESULTS: Tumor histology was similarly distributed between groups. In group III/IV (n = 35), sterno-laparotomy was used in 83% of patients, cardiopulmonary bypass in 77%, and deep hypothermic circulatory arrest in 17%; 23% underwent liver resection. Corresponding proportions in group I/II were 3%, 0%, 0%, and 8%. In group III/IV, 4 patients required emergency resection. Mortality on day 30 was 17% (n = 6) in group III/IV and 0% in group I/II (P = 0.01). There was no liver failure among the 66 postoperative survivors and 5 out of 6 patients who died postoperatively presented a preoperative or postoperative liver failure (P < 0.001). Overall survival was not significantly different between groups with a median follow-up of 15.1 months. R0 resection was achieved in 66% of group I/II and 49% of group III/IV patients (P = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Surgical resection of tumors invading the inferior vena cava at hepatic vein and thoracic levels should be reserved to carefully selected patients without preoperative liver failure to minimize postoperative mortality.

Risk of Lung Allograft Dysfunction Associated With Aspergillus Infection.

We sought to determine whether invasive aspergillosis (IA) during the first year after lung transplantation increased the risk of chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 191 patients who underwent lung transplantation at our institution between January 2013 and December 2017. Screening for Aspergillus was with bronchial aspirates, bronchoalveolar lavage if indicated or during surveillance bronchoscopy, radiography, and computed tomography. We used Fine and Gray multivariable regression to identify potential risk factors for CLAD. RESULTS: During the first posttransplant year, 72 patients had at least 1 deep-airway sample positive for Aspergillus; 63 were classified as having IA and were included in the study. Median number of endoscopies per patient during the first year was 9 (range, 1-44). Median time from transplantation to first Aspergillus-positive sample was 121 d. Bronchial aspirate samples and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were positive in 71 and 44 patients, respectively. Aspergillus fumigatus (n = 36, 50%) predominated; bacterial samples were also positive in 22 (31%) patients. IA within 4 mo after transplantation was independently associated with CLAD development (subdistribution hazard ratio, 3.75; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.61-8.73; P < 0.01) by regression analysis. Survival at 3 and 5 y conditional on 1-y CLAD-free survival was 37% (95% CI, 24%-58%), and 24% (95% CI, 11%-52%) in the IA <4 mo group compared to 65% (95% CI, 57%-73%) and 54% (95% CI, 43%-66%) in the non-IA group and to 69% (95% CI, 58%-83%) and 54% (95% CI, 35%-82%) in the IA ≥4 mo group, respectively (P < 0.01, logrank test). CONCLUSIONS: Our evaluation of de novo IA showed that this infection was most strongly associated with CLAD when found within 4 mo after transplantation.

Lung and heart-lung transplantation for children with PAH: Dramatic benefits from the implementation of a high-priority allocation program in France.

PURPOSE: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is rare but remains fatal in infants and children despite the advance of targeted therapies. Lung transplantation (LTx), first performed in pediatric patients in the 1980s, is, with the Potts shunt, the only potentially life-extending option in patients with end-stage PAH but is possible only in tightly selected patients. Size-matching challenges severely restrict the donor organ pool, resulting-together with peculiarities of PAH in infants-in high waitlist mortality. We aimed to investigate survival when using a high-priority allocation program (HPAP) in children with PAH listed for double-LTx or heart-LTx. METHODS: We conducted a single-center, retrospective, before-after study of consecutive children with severe Group 1 PAH listed for double-LTx or heart-LTx between 1988 and 2019. The HPAP was implemented in France in 2006 and 2007 for heart-LTx and double-LTx, respectively. RESULTS: Fifty-five children with PAH were listed for transplantation. Mean age at transplantation was 15.8±2.8 years and 72% had heart-lung transplantation. PAH was usually idiopathic (65%) or due to congenital heart disease (25%). HPAP implementation resulted in the following significant benefits: Decreased cumulative incidence of waitlist death within 1 and 2 years (p < 0.0001); increased cumulative incidence of transplantation within 6 months, from 44% to 67% (p < 0.01); and improved survival after listing (at 1, 3, and 5 years: 61%, 50%, and 44% vs. 92%, 84%, and 72% before and after HPAP implementation, respectively; p = 0.02). CONCLUSION: HPAP implementation was associated with significant improvements in access to transplantation and in survival after listing in children with end-stage PAH.

Transplantation for pulmonary arterial hypertension with congenital heart disease: Impact on outcomes of the current therapeutic approach including a high-priority allocation program.

Patients with end-stage pulmonary arterial hypertension due to congenital heart disease have limited access to heart-lung transplantation or double-lung transplantation. We aimed to assess the effects of a high-priority allocation program established in France in 2007. We conducted a retrospective study to compare waitlist and posttransplantation outcomes before versus after implementation of the high-priority allocation program. We included 67 consecutive patients (mean age at listing, 33.2 ± 10.5 years) with pulmonary arterial hypertension due to congenital heart disease listed for heart-lung transplantation or double-lung transplantation from 1997 to 2016. At one month, the incidences of transplantation and death before transplantation were 3.5% and 24.6% in 1997-2006, 4.8% and 4.9% for patients on the regular list in 2007-2016, and 41.2% and 7.4% for patients listed under the high-priority allocation program (p < .001 and p = .0001, respectively). Overall survival was higher in patients listed in 2007-2016 (84.2% and 61.2% at 1 and 10 years vs. 36.8% and 22.1%, p = .0001). Increased incidence of transplantation, decreased waiting list mortality, and improved early and long-term outcomes were observed in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension due to congenital heart disease listed for transplantation in the recent era, characterized by implementation of a high-priority allocation program.

Impact of Covid-19 on kidney transplant and waiting list patients: Lessons from the first wave of the pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in a drastic reduction in kidney transplantation and a profound change in transplant care in France. It is critical for kidney transplant centers to understand the behaviors, concerns and wishes of transplant recipients and waiting list candidates. METHODS: French kidney patients were contacted to answer an online electronic survey at the end of the lockdown. RESULTS: At the end of the first wave of the pandemic in France (11 May 2020), 2112 kidney transplant recipients and 487 candidates answered the survey. More candidates than recipients left their home during the lockdown, mainly for health care (80.1% vs. 69.4%; P<0.001). More candidates than recipients reported being exposed to Covid-19 patients (2.7% vs. 1.2%; P=0.006). Many recipients and even more candidates felt inadequately informed by their transplant center during the pandemic (19.6% vs. 54%; P<0.001). Among candidates, 71.1% preferred to undergo transplant as soon as possible, 19.5% preferred to wait until Covid-19 had left their community, and 9.4% were not sure what to do. CONCLUSIONS: During the Covid-19 pandemic in France, the majority of candidates wished to receive a transplant as soon as possible without waiting until Covid-19 had left their community. Communication between kidney transplant centers and patients must be improved to better understand and serve patients' needs.

COVID-19 in Lung Transplant Recipients.

BACKGROUND: A concern about the susceptibility of immunocompromised patients to the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been raised. We aimed at describing COVID-19 infections in the French cohort of lung transplant (LT) patients. METHODS: Multicenter nationwide cohort study of all LT recipients with COVID-19 diagnosed from March 1 to May 19, 2020. Recipient main characteristics and their management were retrieved. Hospitalization characteristics, occurrence of complications and survival were analyzed. RESULTS: Thirty-five LT patients with a COVID-19 infection were included. Median age was 50.4 (40.6-62.9) years, 16 (45.7%) were female, and 80% were double-LT recipients. Infection was community-acquired in 25 (71.4%). Thirty-one (88.6%) required hospitalization, including 13 (41.9%) in the intensive care unit. The main symptoms of COVID-19 were fever, cough, and diarrhea, present in 71.4%, 54.3%, and 31.4% of cases, respectively. Extension of pneumonia on chest CT was moderate to severe in 51.4% of cases. Among the 13 critically ill patients, 7 (53.9%) received invasive mechanical ventilation. Thrombotic events occurred in 4 patients. Overall survival rate was 85.7% after a median follow-up of 50 days (41.0-56.5). Four of 5 nonsurvivors had had bronchial complications or intensification of immunosuppression in the previous weeks. On univariate analysis, overweight was significantly associated with risk of death (odds ratio, 16.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.5-170.6; P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: For the 35 LT recipients with COVID-19, the presentation was severe, requiring hospitalization in most cases, with a survival rate of 85.7%.

18F-FDG PET and DCE kinetic modeling and their correlations in primary NSCLC: first voxel-wise correlative analysis of human simultaneous [18F]FDG PET-MRI data.

OBJECTIVES: To decipher the correlations between PET and DCE kinetic parameters in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), by using voxel-wise analysis of dynamic simultaneous [18F]FDG PET-MRI. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fourteen treatment-naïve patients with biopsy-proven NSCLC prospectively underwent a 1-h dynamic [18F]FDG thoracic PET-MRI scan including DCE. The PET and DCE data were normalized to their corresponding T1-weighted MR morphological space, and tumors were masked semi-automatically. Voxel-wise parametric maps of PET and DCE kinetic parameters were computed by fitting the dynamic PET and DCE tumor data to the Sokoloff and Extended Tofts models respectively, by using in-house developed procedures. Curve-fitting errors were assessed by computing the relative root mean square error (rRMSE) of the estimated PET and DCE signals at the voxel level. For each tumor, Spearman correlation coefficients (rs) between all the pairs of PET and DCE kinetic parameters were estimated on a voxel-wise basis, along with their respective bootstrapped 95% confidence intervals (n = 1000 iterations). RESULTS: Curve-fitting metrics provided fit errors under 20% for almost 90% of the PET voxels (median rRMSE = 10.3, interquartile ranges IQR = 8.1; 14.3), whereas 73.3% of the DCE voxels showed fit errors under 45% (median rRMSE = 31.8%, IQR = 22.4; 46.6). The PET-PET, DCE-DCE, and PET-DCE voxel-wise correlations varied according to individual tumor behaviors. Beyond this wide variability, the PET-PET and DCE-DCE correlations were mainly high (absolute rs values > 0.7), whereas the PET-DCE correlations were mainly low to moderate (absolute rs values < 0.7). Half the tumors showed a hypometabolism with low perfused/vascularized profile, a hallmark of hypoxia, and tumor aggressiveness. CONCLUSION: A dynamic "one-stop shop" procedure applied to NSCLC is technically feasible in clinical practice. PET and DCE kinetic parameters assessed simultaneously are not highly correlated in NSCLC, and these correlations showed a wide variability among tumors and patients. These results tend to suggest that PET and DCE kinetic parameters might provide complementary information. In the future, this might make PET-MRI a unique tool to characterize the individual tumor biological behavior in NSCLC.

Lung transplantation for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is characterized by relentlessly progressive lung function impairment that is consistently fatal in the absence of lung transplantation, as no curative pharmacological treatment exists. The pace of progression varies across patients, and acute life-threatening exacerbations occur unpredictably, causing further sharp drops in lung function. Recently introduced antifibrotic agents slow the pace of disease progression and may improve survival but fail to stop the fibrotic process. Moreover, the magnitude and kinetics of the response to these drugs cannot be predicted in the individual patient. These characteristics require that lung transplantation be considered early in the course of the disease. However, given the shortage of donor lungs, lung transplantation must be carefully targeted to those patients most likely to benefit. Current guidelines for lung transplantation listing may need reappraisal in the light of recent treatment advances. Patients with IPF often have multiple comorbidities such as coronary heart disease, frailty, and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Consequently, extensive screening for and effective treatment of concomitant conditions is crucial to appropriate candidate selection and outcome optimisation. A multidisciplinary approach is mandatory. Pulmonologists with expertise in IPF must work closely with lung transplant teams. Careful consideration must be given to preoperative optimisation, surgical technique, and pulmonary rehabilitation to produce the best post-transplantation outcomes.

Diffusion-weighted Imaging Voxelwise-matched Analyses of Lung Cancer at 3.0-T PET/MRI: Reverse Phase Encoding Approach for Echo-planar Imaging Distortion Correction.

Background PET/MRI has drawn increasing interest in thoracic oncology due to the simultaneous acquisition of PET and MRI data. Geometric distortions related to diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) limit the evaluation of voxelwise multimodal analyses. Purpose To assess the effectiveness of reverse phase encoding in correcting DWI geometric distortion for multimodal PET/MRI voxelwise lung tumor analyses. Materials and Methods In this prospective study, reverse phase encoding method was implemented with 3.0-T PET/MRI to correct geometric distortions related to DWI. The method was validated in dedicated phantom and then applied to 12 consecutive patients (mean age, 66 years ± 13 [standard deviation]; 10 men) suspected of having lung cancer who underwent fluorodeoxyglucose PET/MRI between October 2018 and April 2019. The effects on DWI-related image matching and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) regional map computation were assessed. Consequences on multimodal PET/MRI voxelwise lung tumor analyses were evaluated. Spearman correlation coefficients (rs) between the standardized uptake value (SUV) and ADC data corrected for distortion were computed from optimal realigned DWI PET data, along with bootstrap confidence intervals. Results Phantom results showed that in highly distorted areas, correcting the distortion significantly reduced the mean error against the ground truth (-25% ± 10.6 to -18.4% ± 12.6; P < .001) and the number of voxels with more than 20% error (from 85.3% to 31.4%). In the 12 patients, the coregistration of multimodal PET/MRI tumor data was improved by using the reverse phase encoding method (0.4%-44%). In all tumors, voxelwise correlations (rs) between ADC and SUV revealed null or weak monotonic relationships (mean rs of 0.016 ± 0.24 with none above 0.5). Conclusion Reverse phase encoding is a simple-to-implement method for improved diffusion-weighted multimodal PET/MRI voxelwise-matched analyses in lung cancer. © RSNA, 2020 Online supplemental material is available for this article. See also the editorial by Colletti in this issue.

Secondary Extra-anatomic Infrainguinal Bypass following Lower Limb Tumoral Resection.

BACKGROUND: Soft tissue malignancy of lower limb can involve femoral triangle by direct tumoral invasion or secondary to ganglionic metastasis. Secondary arterial complications can appear during follow-up after initial tumoral resection and local radiation therapy. The aim of this study is to report our experience of secondary extra-anatomical lower limb revascularization following lower limb oncological resection with femoral bifurcation involvement. METHODS: This is a retrospective monocentric study including patients who underwent extra-anatomical iliopopliteal bypass, with a previous treated neoplasia involving homolateral femoral bifurcation. Proximal anastomosis was performed on the iliac artery, tunnelization was made through iliac wing, and distal anastomosis was done on distal superficial femoral or popliteal artery. RESULTS: Five patients underwent extra-anatomic iliopopliteal bypass for oncological purpose from 2008 to 2018 at our institution. Mean age at surgery time was 52 years (standard deviation = 19.3). Prosthetic graft was used in all cases. Primitive tumor involved Scarpa triangle in 3 cases (soft tissue sarcomas) and ganglionic metastasis involved Scarpa triangle in 2 cases (epidermoid carcinoma). Clinical presentation was ischemic in 4 cases and hemorrhagic in 1 case. One patient died during hospitalization. Of the 4 survivors, 3 patients had a patent bypass at the end of follow-up (2 had bypass thrombectomy, 1 patient had major amputation). CONCLUSIONS: Secondary iliopopliteal bypasses through the iliac wing following lower limb tumoral resection have acceptable results. It is a valid option for limb salvage especially after local radiation therapy and tumoral resection. Multidisciplinary management is necessary to obtain acceptable results and follow-up is mandatory.

Correction to: Focus on Recommendations for the Management of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer.

The authors would like to apologize for the misspelling of one of the co-authors names.

Blood CD9+ B cell, a biomarker of bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome after lung transplantation.

Bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome is the main limitation for long-term survival after lung transplantation. Some specific B cell populations are associated with long-term graft acceptance. We aimed to monitor the B cell profile during early development of bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome after lung transplantation. The B cell longitudinal profile was analyzed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome and patients who remained stable over 3 years of follow-up. CD24hi CD38hi transitional B cells were increased in stable patients only, and reached a peak 24 months after transplantation, whereas they remained unchanged in patients who developed a bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome. These CD24hi CD38hi transitional B cells specifically secrete IL-10 and express CD9. Thus, patients with a total CD9+ B cell frequency below 6.6% displayed significantly higher incidence of bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (AUC = 0.836, PPV = 0.75, NPV = 1). These data are the first to associate IL-10-secreting CD24hi CD38hi transitional B cells expressing CD9 with better allograft outcome in lung transplant recipients. CD9-expressing B cells appear as a contributor to a favorable environment essential for the maintenance of long-term stable graft function and as a new predictive biomarker of bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome-free survival.

French experience of balloon pulmonary angioplasty for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.

AIMS: To evaluate safety and efficacy of balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) in a large cohort of patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). METHODS: From 2014 to 2017, 184 inoperable CTEPH patients underwent 1006 BPA sessions. Safety and efficacy during the first 21 months (initial period) were compared with those of the last 21 months (recent period). A total of 154 patients had a full evaluation after a median duration of 6.1 months. RESULTS: Overall, there was a significant improvement in New York Heart Association functional class, 6-min walk distance (mean change +45 m), and a significant decrease in mean pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) and in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) by 26% and 43%, respectively. The percentage decreases of mean PAP and PVR were 22% and 37% in the initial period versus 30% and 49% in the recent period, respectively (p<0.05). The main complications included lung injury, which occurred in 9.1% of 1006 sessions (13.3% in the initial period versus 5.9% in the recent period; p<0.001). Per-patient multivariate analysis revealed that baseline mean PAP and the period during which BPA procedure was performed (recent versus initial period) were the strongest factors related to the occurrence of lung injury. 3-year survival was 95.1%. CONCLUSION: This study confirms that a refined BPA strategy improves short-term symptoms, exercise capacity and haemodynamics in inoperable CTEPH patients with an acceptable risk-benefit ratio. Safety and efficacy improve over time, underscoring the unavoidable learning curve for this procedure.