[Schwannoma of Intercostal Nerve Resulting in Significant Pain Relief Following Excision:Report of a Case].

An 80-year-old male underwent chest computed tomography (CT) due to complaints of right-sided chest pain. A chest wall tumor was identified in the right eighth intercostal space, corresponding to the location of his pain. The patient was subsequently referred to our department for further evaluation and treatment. Utilizing single-port thoracoscopic surgery, the tumor was successfully excised. Intraoperatively, the tumor was found beneath the parietal pleura, was contiguous with to the intercostal nerve. Histopathological analysis confirmed the diagnosis of schwannoma originating from the intercostal nerve. The right-sided chest pain was reduced after operation significantly. No recurrence or relapse of symptoms was observed during follow-up. Although schwannoma of the chest wall in asymptomatic in many cases, in this case, localized pain corresponding to the tumor site was evident. This emphasizes the importance of considering schwannoma in the differential diagnosis of chest pain.

[Intercostal Lung Hernia after Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery (MICS)-Aortic Valve Replacement (AVR) Surgery].

A 51 years old male had underwent aortic valve replacement (AVR) by minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS) for aortic regurgitation. About one year after the surgery, bulging of the wound and pain appeared. His chest computed tomography showed an image of the right upper lobe protruding from the thoracic cavity through the right second intercostal space, and the patient was diagnosed as having an intercostal lung hernia and the surgical treatment was performed using a unsintered hydroxyapatite and poly-L-lactide (u-HA/PLLA) mesh plate and monofilament polypropylene (PP) mesh. Postoperative course was uneventful without any evidence of recurrence.

Sarcoidosis-lymphoma syndrome with portal hypertension: diagnostic clues and approach.

Sarcoidosis-lymphoma syndrome associated with portal hypertension is very rare. A 68-year-old female presented with a 5 kg weight loss in 6 months. Soluble interleukin-2 receptor activity was increased and total platelet count was decreased. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography showed the presence of hepatosplenomegaly and a 3 cm-sized tumor in segment 3 of the liver. The hepatic venous catheterization showed mild portal hypertension. On fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography, progressive malignant lymphoma was suspected. However, bone marrow biopsy showed multiple noncaseating granulomas. A laparoscopic liver biopsy revealed that the liver tumor had features of Hodgkin lymphoma. There were multiple noncaseating epithelioid granulomas in the portal tracts of the liver. Splenectomy for splenomegaly and partial hepatectomy for the liver tumor were performed. Pathological examination of the resected specimens revealed multiple noncaseating epithelioid granulomas in the liver and spleen. Histopathology of the liver tumor confirmed classic Hodgkin lymphoma with mixed cellularity. We conclude that hepatic venous catheterization, positron emission tomography/computed tomography, and pathological examinations of bone marrow, liver, and spleen are crucial for the diagnosis of sarcoidosis-lymphoma syndrome associated with portal hypertension.