[Retrograde S(9+)10 Segmentectomy without Interlobar Fissurelectomy].

BACKGROUNDS: With increase of patients with a small-sized lung cancer, there is an increasing need for minimally invasive lung segmentectomy that can preserve respiratory function. We perform S(9+)10 segmentectomy with retrograde dissection of the pulmonary vein, bronchus, pulmonary artery, in order, without interlober fissurelectomy and staple dissection of the peripheral lung parenchyma. METHODS: Seven patients who underwent retrograde S(9+)10 segmentectomy between June, 2021 and May, 2022 in our hospital were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: No patient was converted to the open thoracotomy, without any complications including prolonged air leakage. The average operation time was 171 minutes( range 125 to 221), amount of bleeding was 25 ml( range 0 to 75). Median duration of chest tube insertion was 4 days( range 3 to 6), length of stay after surgery was 6 days (range 5 to 9). Pathologic stage showed pT1mi in 3 patients, pT1a in 3 patients, pT2a in 1 patient. No local recurrence was seen at this time. CONCLUSIONS: Retrograde S(9+)10 segmentectomy is feasible and facilitates interlobar procedure at the time of repeated segmentectomy or completion lobectomy.

Diaphragmatic paraganglioma protruding into the right thoracic cavity.

Paragangliomas in the diaphragm are extremely rare. We report the case of a 27-year-old woman with a nonfunctioning paraganglioma protruding superiorly from the right diaphragm. The patient underwent an anterior thoracotomy, and a supradiaphragmatic tumor (70 mm in diameter), which compressed the inferior vena cava and the right hepatic vein, was completely resected by combined partial resection of the right diaphragm and pericardium. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a paraganglioma situated both on the diaphragm and close to the inferior vena cava and hepatic vein. KEY POINTS.

Incidental haemothorax after sublobar resection: did staple line scratch chest wall?

We herein report a case of life-threatening haemothorax that occurred 40 days after pulmonary segmentectomy in a 60-year-old man. The patient uneventfully underwent resection of the apical and posterior segments of the right upper lobe by video-assisted thoracic surgery for early-stage lung cancer. An emergency operation of haemostat for active bleeding from the intercostal artery was successful via a right thoracotomy. The bleeding point was in the vicinity of the staple line dividing the intersegmental plane. This case reveals that scratch by staples can cause haemothorax through incidental injury of the intercostal artery.

Bronchoscopic observation with linked colour imaging.

We report two cases of the comparison of diagnosis made with linked color imaging (LCI) and conventional white-light imaging (WLI) on the same patients. In case 1, a 75-year-old man in whom right upper lobectomy with mediastinal lymph node dissection was performed due to lung cancer had signs of bronchitis on postoperative day 8. The LCI demonstrated slight inflammatory changes that were not detectable with the conventional WLI on the tracheal wall. In case 2, in a 61-year-old woman who was diagnosed with adenoid cystic carcinoma, the bronchial wall was checked to confirm the extent of the tumour. The submucosal vascularity and tumour margin on the bronchial mucosa were better visible on LCI than on WLI. We could easily detect the mucosal inflammatory lesion and the malignant lesion with LCI in comparison with conventional WLI. Both mucosal inflammatory and malignant lesions were better visible with LCI in comparison to WLI.

Penetration of bronchial wall by knot of absorbable monofilament suture.

A 75-year-old man underwent thoracoscopic left upper lobectomy for primary lung cancer. Additional ligature plication to the left superior pulmonary vein with absorbable monofilament suture was performed after stapling with an endostapler. Postoperative bronchoscopy revealed penetration of the monofilament thread edge eviscerating across the wall of the left main bronchus. The edge was spontaneously absorbed with no adverse events. Penetration of a thick monofilament thread edge into mediastinal organs should be considered when the thread is located in the mediastinum.