Hybrid treatment of T3 chest wall lung cancer lobectomy.

Nowadays the treatment of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that invades the chest wall is still questioned. The classic approach is a lobectomy that requires chest wall resection through thoracotomy, but thanks to the progress in the field of thoracoscopic surgery, this procedure can be performed by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). Major advances have been made in recent years both in the surgical technique associated with thoracoscopy and in the instrumentation available today. This has allowed the use of thoracoscopic technique even in advanced disease. To choose to perform complex surgery in assisted video surgery, considerable experience is needed to avoid making mistakes and giving up a better approach for the patient only for any technical difficulties. Thoracoscopy is not currently the preferred intervention for patients with chest wall invasion because there are insufficient studies on the feasibility of lobectomy with thoracoscopic wall resection, although the thoracoscopic approach has reduced mortality and morbidity in lung cancer cases not in advanced stage. We discuss our experience in three patients using hybrid approach with assisted video thoracoscopic lobectomy and a chest wall en-block resection with an alternative method of estimating thoracic wall resection that uses assisted video surgery and hypodermic needles (minimally invasive posterior approach).

Colovesical fistula in sigmoid diverticulitis. A case report.

Colonic diverticulosis has continuously increased, noticeably left-sided disease. Colovesical fistula is an uncommon complication of diverticulitis, and its most common cause is diverticular disease. Pneumaturia and fecaluria are commonly related symptoms. We present the case of a 79-year-old woman complaining pneumaturia and fecaluria. Abdominal CT showed a colovesical fistula due to sigmoid diverticulitis. After surgical adhesiolysis between the sigmoid colon and the bladder, the defect of the bladder wall was repaired by simple closure. The colonic defect was treated by segmental resection including the rectosigmoid junction. Following the operation the patient continuously improved at months 6, 12 and 18 without evidence of recurrences.