Intrasacral meningoceles: Clinical presentation, surgical management, and postoperative outcome: The Giannina Gaslini Hospital's experience.

INTRODUCTION: Intrasacral meningoceles are cysts associated with herniating arachnoid with no nerve root within due to an area of weakness of the dura mater. They are thought to be congenital, but they are usually not symptomatic until adulthood. Surgical treatment is generally indicated in the presence of symptoms. METHODS: We selected cases belonging to the IB category of Nabors et al.'s classification who underwent surgery between 2008 and 2021 at Giannina Gaslini Hospital. Exclusion criteria were prior history of trauma, infections, or operations. Patients' clinical details, associated conditions, surgical techniques, peri- and postoperative complications, and outcomes were collected retrospectively from clinical charts. We compared our series to literature: keywords "intrasacral meningocele" were used on the search engine MEDLINE - Pubmed. RESULTS: We identified 23 cases: 5 of the 14 symptomatic patients had a complete resolution, and 5 had a substantial clinical improvement after surgery. Cyst recurrence and major postoperative complication occurred in none. Among 59 articles considered for evaluation, 50 were excluded and remaining 9 articles underwent full-text analysis. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The pathogenesis of instrasacral meningoceles is still not completely understood and the spectrum of symptoms is wide. A posterior surgical approach with sacral laminectomy is preferred, although in selected cases it is possible to perform a supplemental anterior approach (sometimes endoscopic). In our surgical series, the largest one published in the literature, a good clinical outcome was achieved in most patients with no cyst's recurrence, pointing out the importance of surgical interruption of communication between cyst and subdural space.

Lung cancer and COVID-19: problems and perspectives.

COVID-19 pandemic generated concerns about the healthcare of patients with cancer, not simply because of the formidable impact of COVID-19 patients in the public healthcare system, but also due to the overlapping pathognomonic signs of many forms of lung cancer with lung injuries associated with COVID-19. This report tries to shed light on the issue. We evaluated the great concern of people suffering from lung cancer and also infected with SARS-CoV-2 by discussing evidence and data from current literature. Lung cancer in Italy has represented more than 1 case/4 (27%) in the latest ten years and nevertheless, even due to the concurrence of many complex interplays between COVID-19 and cancer even at the immune level, a consensus protocol and expert guidelines to diagnose and treat lung cancer upon SARS-CoV-2 infection are yet lacking. New insights and consensus panels should be therefore proposed, even at the simplistic level about if priority must be either given to COVID-19 or to cancer therapy.

Transient meningism in children after non-autologous duraplasty for Chiari Malformation surgery: A case series.

BACKGROUND: Increasing the posterior fossa volume is the mainstay of treatment for Chiari type 1 Malformation (C1M) and type 1.5 (C1.5M). Different options to restore CSF flow have been described but no consensus has been reached yet. Bony decompression of posterior cranial fossa with dural opening provides good results but at the price of complications such as pseudomeningocele and aseptic meningitis. A single center retrospective analysis was conducted to find any relationships between outcome and perioperative factors. As a second goal a specific analysis was conducted on the complications and their hypothetical causes. METHODS: All the pediatric patients who underwent to posterior fossa bony decompression and dural opening for C1M or C1.5M in the period 2008-2020 were included in the study. A minimum period of three-months follow-up was considered among the inclusion criteria. RESULTS: A population of fifty-three consecutive patients was collected. Pseudomeningocele and a mild meningeal irritation resulted the most frequent complications. Considering preoperative and intraoperative factors, the type of dural graft showed a relatively strong correlation (P<.01) with pseudomeningocele appearance and the development of meningism. In the latter case, a short course of steroids was the only treatment required to control symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Different factors could influence the outcome in Chiari Malformation surgery and eventually the development of complications. An adequate dural graft selection is of paramount importance when a dural opening for posterior fossa augmentation is planned. In case of mild meningeal irritation, a trial with short course steroids could avoid revision surgery.

Rectal advancement flap plus adipose lipofilling (RAFAL) for the treatment of rectourethral fistulas after radical prostatectomy.

BACKGROUND: Rectourethral fistula (RUF) is a rare but significant complication after radical prostatectomy. Many different approaches have been used, but none of them has become the standard of care. METHODS: We present our series of seven patients treated with a transanal rectal advancement flap plus the injection of mesenchymal stem cells, to facilitate the healing of the fistula. Mesenchymal cells were obtained by a new mechanical device known as LIPOGEMS®. We called this technique RAFAL (rectal advancement flap plus adipose lipofilling). In all patients the RUF was a complication of laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. Fistula size ranged from 0.3 to 0.5 cm (median 0.4 cm). RESULTS: After a median follow-up of 53 months (range 6-163 months), 2 out of 7 patients experienced RUF recurrence. In both cases recurrence was successfully treated by the York-Mason technique in one case and by redo RAFAL in the other. Success rate of RAFAL was 71% (5 of 7). The total success rate of primary RAFAL and redo- RAFAL was 85.7% (6 of 7). No short- or long-term complications were seen. CONCLUSIONS: In our patient population this new procedure was safe and effective.

Ozone therapy in 65 patients with fibromyalgia: an effective therapy.

OBJECTIVE: Fibromyalgia is a chronic disorder with a very complex symptomatology. Although generalized severe pain is considered to be the cardinal symptom of the disease, many other associated symptoms, especially non-restorative sleep, chronic fatigue, anxiety, and depressive symptoms also play a relevant role in the degree of disability characteristic of the disease. Ozone therapy, which is used to treat a wide range of diseases and seems to be particularly useful in the treatment of many chronic diseases, is thought to act by exerting a mild, transient, and controlled oxidative stress that promotes an up-regulation of the antioxidant system and a modulation of the immune system. According to these mechanisms of action, it was hypothesized that ozone therapy could be useful in fibromyalgia management, where the employed therapies are very often ineffective. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Sixty-five patients with fibromyalgia, according to the definition of the American College of Rheumatology (Arthritis Rheum 1990; 33: 160-172), were treated at the MEDE Clinic (Sacile, Pordenone, Italy) from February 2016 to October 2018. Females were 55 and males were 10; age ranged from 30 to 72 years, and the time from fibromyalgia diagnosis ranged from 0.5 to 33 years. Treatment was made by autohemotransfusion in 55 patients and by ozone rectal insufflations in 10 patients, according to SIOOT (Scientific Society of Oxygen Ozone Therapy) protocols, twice a week for one month and then twice a month as maintenance therapy. RESULTS: We found a significative improvement (>50% of symptoms) in 45 patients (70%). No patient reported important side effects. In conclusion, at our knowledge, this is the largest study of patients with fibromyalgia treated with ozone therapy reported in the literature and it demonstrates that the ozone therapy is an effective treatment for fibromyalgia patients without significant side effects. CONCLUSIONS: At the moment, ozone therapy seems a treatment that, also because without any side effect, is possible to be proposed to patients with fibromyalgia that are not obtaining adequate results from other available treatments and it can be considered as complementary/integrative medicine.

Enhanced recovery pathways in colorectal surgery: a consensus paper by the Associazione Chirurghi Ospedalieri Italiani (ACOI) and the PeriOperative Italian Society (POIS).

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) pathway is a multi-disciplinary, patient-centered protocol relying on the implementation of the best evidence-based perioperative practice. In the field of colorectal surgery, the application of ERAS programs is associated with up to 50% reduction of morbidity rates and up to 2.5 days reduction of postoperative hospital stay. However, widespread adoption of ERAS pathways is still yet to come, mainly because of the lack of proper information and communication. Purpose of this paper is to support the diffusion of ERAS pathways through a critical review of the existing evidence by members of the two national societies dealing with ERAS pathways in Italy, the PeriOperative Italian Society (POIS) and the Associazione Italiana Chirurghi Ospedalieri (ACOI), showing the results of a consensus development conference held at Matera, Italy, during the national ACOI Congress on June 10, 2019.

Oxygen-ozone therapy as support and palliative therapy in 50 cancer patients with fatigue - A short report.

OBJECTIVE: Fatigue may be cause by all cancer treatments, maybe because the tissue damage or the build-up of dead cells derived products. PATIENTS AND METHODS: At the Mede Clinic in Sacile, Pordenone, Italy, from February 2016 to May 2018 we studied 50 patients with cancer and fatigue (15 with breast cancer, 12 with lung cancer, 11 with colon cancer, 5 with renal cancer, 3 with prostate cancer, 2 with melanoma and 2 hepatocellular carcinoma). Patients were treated with Auto Hemotransfusion (GAE) according to the SIOOT (Scientific Society of Oxygen Ozone Therapy) protocols, two times a week for one month and then twice monthly as maintenance therapy. RESULTS: Nineteen of them were undergoing neoplastic treatment, 10 had already ended the cancer therapy and 21 were in a palliative setting. The Fatigue Severity Scale was used to assess the extent of fatigue in patients, in order to estimate the severity of the symptom with a score from 1 to 7. No side effects were found, and 35 patients (70%) achieved a significant improvement (> 50%) of the symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Our preliminary data demonstrate that ozone therapy is a valid supportive therapy for fatigue in cancer patients, both during cancer therapy and in a palliative setting with no significant side effects.

Noninvasive Assessment of Hemodynamic Stress Distribution after Indirect Revascularization for Pediatric Moyamoya Vasculopathy.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Indirect revascularization surgery is an effective treatment in children with Moyamoya vasculopathy. In the present study, we hypothesized that DSC-PWI may reliably assess the evolution of CBF-related parameters after revascularization surgery, monitoring the outcome of surgical pediatric patients with Moyamoya vasculopathy. Thus, we aimed to evaluate differences in DSC-PWI parameters, including the hemodynamic stress distribution, in surgical and nonsurgical children with Moyamoya vasculopathy and to correlate them with long-term postoperative outcome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Pre- and postoperative DSC parameters of 28 patients (16 females; mean age, 5.5 ± 4.8 years) treated with indirect revascularization were compared with those obtained at 2 time points in 10 nonsurgical patients (6 females; mean age, 6.9 ± 4.7 years). We calculated 4 normalized CBF-related parameters and their percentage variance: mean normalized CBF of the MCA territory, mean normalized CBF of the proximal MCA territory, mean normalized CBF of cortical the MCA territory, and hemodynamic stress distribution. The relationship between perfusion parameters and postoperative outcomes (poor, fair, good, excellent) was explored using 1-way analysis of covariance (P < .05). RESULTS: A significant decrease of the mean normalized CBF of the proximal MCA territory and hemodynamic stress distribution and an increase of the mean normalized CBF of the cortical MCA territory were observed after revascularization surgery (P < .001). No variations were observed in nonsurgical children. Postoperative hemodynamic stress distribution and its percentage change were significantly different in outcome groups (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: DSC-PWI indices show postoperative hemodynamic changes that correlate with clinical outcome after revascularization surgery in children with Moyamoya disease.

Pituitary deficiency and congenital infiltrating lipomatosis of the face in a girl with deletion of chromosome 1q24.3q31.1.

Interstitial deletions of the long arm of chromosome 1 are rare and they are classified as proximal or intermediate. The intermediate interstitial deletions span 1q24-1q32. We describe a 6-year-old girl with multiple pituitary hormone deficiency, severe cognitive impairment, bilateral cleft lip and palate, midline facial capillary malformation, erythema of hands and feet and dysplastic cranial vessels, low anti-thrombin III activity, hemifacial overgrowth due to progressive infiltrating lipomatosis with bone overgrowth, marked vascular proliferation and erythema of hands and feet, and abnormal cranial vessels. The girl's karyotype showed an apparently de novo interstitial deletion 1q24.3q31.1, which was defined by array-CGH. The deleted region contains numerous genes, but only eight (CENPL, LHX4, LAMC1, LAMC2, PTGS2, ANGPTL1, TNN, and TNR) are good candidates to explain, at least partially, the phenotype of the proposita. We, therefore, discuss the involvement of these genes and the observed phenotype.

Glioneuronal tumors and epilepsy in children: seizure outcome related to lesionectomy.

AIM: Glioneuronal tumors (especially gangliogliomas and dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors) are an increasingly recognised cause of drug-resistant epilepsy in children. The optimal surgical strategy (lesionectomy vs. extended resection of epileptogenic peritumoral areas) to obtain seizure control has not been fully established. Our aim was to analyze the post-surgical seizure outcome in children with epileptogenic glioneuronal tumors related to lesionectomy. METHODS: The clinical data were collected through a database. Video-EEG and MRI were performed in all patients pre-operatively and at the follow-up. RESULTS: Our series included 22 patients. The age range at surgery was 10 months-16 years (mean: 6.5±4.5 years). Epilepsy duration ranged 1-78 months (mean: 11.6±17.0). There were complex partial seizures in 14 cases, simple partial seizures in 6 patients and generalized epilepsy in 2. Gross-total surgical removal was achieved in 15 (68.2%) patients. At the last follow-up (mean 4.7 years), 20 (90.9%) patients were seizure-free (Engel Class I) and two (9.1%) were Engel Class III. Six out of seven (85.7%) patients with subtotal removal were Engel Class I. Statistical analysis failed to detect any difference between seizure outcome (Engel Class) and tumor type (DNT vs. GG; P=1.00) or location (temporal vs. non temporal; P=0.51), and extension of the resection (total vs. subtotal; P=1.00). CONCLUSION: Primary aim of the surgery for epileptogenic glioneuronal tumors is to remove the lesion and to obtain a complete seizure control. However, if a complete tumor resection cannot be carried out, a subtotal removal of the lesion can equally provide satisfactory results.

Genetic abnormalities and CNS tumors: report of two cases of ependymoma associated with Klinefelter's Syndrome (KS).

OBJECTS: Genetic syndromes associated with ependymoma are uncommon, with the exception of NF2. We describe two cases of ependymoma presenting with Klinefelter's Syndrome (KS) as co-morbid condition. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The first patient was diagnosed for KS during pregnancy; he also presented a thyroid agenesis and a deficit of methyltetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR); at 30 months of age he was operated on for a grade II ependymoma of IV ventricle; after a multiple-stage surgery, he underwent oral chemotherapy and stereotactic radiotherapy, but after 15 months he presented a local recurrence and died. The second patient was diagnosed for KS at the age of 16 months; at 10 years of age, due to back pain, he underwent an MRI, which showed a cauda equine tumor. He underwent surgery and radiotherapy. Histology was of mixopapillary ependymoma. CONCLUSION: In a review of literature, various neoplasms have been described in association with KS. To our knowledge, these are the first two cases reported of ependymoma associated to KS. A retrospective study of 44 monoinstitutional ependymoma cases demonstrated association with genetic syndromes in 22%.

[Metastatic gastric neoplasm in the spermatic cord: report of a case]. / Neoplasia gastrica metastatizzata al funicolo spermatico: a proposito di un caso.

The Authors report a case of a 69-year-old male patient recently operated on for a gastric cancer who developed metastasis to the right spermatic cord. They emphasize the rarity of this condition and then go on to review the international literature on the subject.

[Multidisciplinary approach to the patient with oropharyngeal dysphagia]. / L'approccio multidisciplinare al paziente con disfagia oro-faringea.

The Dysphagia Study Group of the Regional Hospital of Treviso uses a multidisciplinary approach to assess patients with oro-pharyngeal dysphagia. From 1996 to 2000, 208 patients with functional dysphagia were studied by the Group. Dysphagia was due to neurological disease in more than 50% of patients, to surgery in 25% and to a functional disease in 17%. In patients less than 20 years old the aetiology was due to the aftermath of traumas; in patients aged from 20 to 45 years the cause was a functional disease or achalasia, while in the majority of the older patients, aged over 45, had cerebral ischaemic lesions. The majority of patients (78%) were submitted to rehabilitation, 9.5% to medical treatment and 2.8% to surgery. Oro-pharyngeal dysphagia calls for a multidisciplinary approach in qualified centers with specialized facilities.

[Diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal carcinoid. Report of a clinical case with duodenal site]. / Diagnosi e trattamento del carcinoide gastrointestinale. Descrizione di un caso clinico a sede duodenale.

Carcinoid tumors are among the most frequently neuroendocrine neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract. They occur more commonly as benign diseases but malignant ones can also be found. The peak age incidence varies with the location of the tumor, with appendiceal tumors being diagnosed at an overage of 36 years, whereas non appendiceal tumors are found typically in the fifth sixth decades of life. There is no sex predilection of the tumors. Most carcinoid tumors are found within the appendix (40-50%) or small intestine (25%). Less common sites include the rectum (15%), main bronchus (10%), duodenum (3-8%) and stomach (2%). Most carcinoid tumors are found incidentally at operation and cause no symptoms. If symptoms do occur, they can be either non specific include intermittent crampy abdominal pain, vomiting and distension caused by intestinal obstruction. The prognosis depends on the site of the tumor and its size. Most carcinoid tumors (75%) are less than 1 cm in size and only 5% are greater than 2 cm. The incidence of metastatic disease is related directly to the size of the tumor at all locations. Carcinoid tumor with size less than 1 cm give linfonodal metastasis only in 3-5%; the other with size over 2 cm give metastasis in the 70-75% of the cases. The 5-years survival for all carcinoid tumors are approximately 85%. Five years rate is higher (> 80%) in carcinoid tumors of appendix and rectum than in gastroduodenal, ileal and colonic neoplasm (< 60%). In this paper the authors report a case of malignant carcinoid of the duodenum.

[The biopsy of pulmonary masses guided by computed tomography after iatrogenic pneumothorax]. / Biopsia delle masse polmonari con la guida della Tomografia Computerizzata dopo pneumotorace iatrogeno.

INTRODUCTION: Biopsy of lung nodules under CT guidance is frequently complicated (in 20-60% of cases) by sudden pneumothorax; when a pneumothorax occurs, the radiologist usually stops the procedure and the histologic specimen is often inadequate for diagnosis. We report our personal experience in eight patients with early pneumothorax in whom we repeated biopsy inserting the needle through the pneumothorax to try to obtain adequate material for histologic diagnosis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 1990 to 1996, we performed 352 CT-guided biopsies to diagnose chest nodules. Early pneumothorax occurred in eight patients, in one of them when local anesthesia was being given, and was in the left-hand side in five cases and in the right-hand side in three. Biopsy was always performed with 21, 19 and 18 G needles. RESULTS: Pneumothorax occurred during posterior bioptic approach in all patients; the nodule was localized in lung parenchyma in three cases and in subpleural site in the others. Post-pneumothorax biopsy was performed with a single 18 or 19 G needle puncture in six cases and with two punctures in the other cases. An inflammatory mass was diagnosed in three patients and a hamartochondroma in two, which avoided surgery in all cases. Three adenocarcinomas were treated with surgical lobectomy and pathology confirmed the diagnosis. Moderate hemoptysis occurred in two patients and the pneumothorax worsened in two patients, requiring transpleural drainage. CONCLUSION: CT-guided biopsy of lung nodules is a safe procedure which can be performed also in the patients with sudden and early pneumothorax when the first biopsy yielded inadequate material for histologic diagnosis. In our experience, five patients avoided surgery because a benign lesion was diagnosed. The complications of post-pneumothorax biopsy were always negligible.

Mediastinal cyst involving the oesophagus: diagnosis and results of surgical treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To describe our experience with mediastinal cysts involving the oesophagus. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: University hospital, Italy. SUBJECTS: 11 patients who presented to our department with a mediastinal cyst from 1976-1994. INTERVENTIONS: Excision of the mass through a posterolateral thoracotomy (n = 10) or by video-assisted thoracoscopy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Morbidity and mortality. RESULTS: 8 patients presented with retrosternal or epigastric pain, three of whom had mild dysphagia. In the remaining 3 the tumour was asymptomatic and an incidental finding on a chest radiograph. Endoscopic ultrasonography and computed tomography (CT) allowed preoperative diagnosis of an extramucosal cyst in 5 of the 7 patients investigated by both tests. Masses were excised through a formal thoracotomy (n = 10) or by video-assisted thoracoscopy. Histological examination confirmed a benign cyst in all cases. There was no operative morbidity and nine patients are free of symptoms after a median follow-up of 2.3 years. CONCLUSION: Excision, preferably by thoracoscopy, is the treatment of choice for mediastinal cysts that involve the oesophagus. Special attention should be paid to the vagal nerves, and as many as possible of the muscular layers of the oesophagus should be preserved.

[Cholangiopancreatography with magnetic resonance. Clinical use of a new "inversion-recovery" sequence]. / Colangiopancreatografia con Risonanza Magnetica. Impiego clinico di una nuova sequenza "inversion-recovery".

This study was aimed at correlating the yield of a three-dimensional (3D) inversion-recovery (IR) turbo spin-echo MR cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) sequence with that of ERCP and PTC in the imaging of the normal and abnormal biliopancreatic tract. Thirty patients with suspected biliary and pancreatic diseases were examined with MRCP first and then with ERCP or PTC; they were also submitted to US, CT and conventional MR studies and in 5 of them CT cholangiography was also performed. Five patients were normal and 25 had various obstructive abnormalities: 5 patients had gallbladder stones, 8 common bile duct stones, 5 a cholangiocarcinoma and 7 an adenocarcinoma of the pancreatic head or papilla. MRCP was performed with a superconductive magnet at 0.5 T, with volumetric images on coronal planes acquired using an IR turbo SE sequence (TR 2500, TE 1000, TF 89, 4 NEX) with respiratory triggering and vascular presaturation. Segmental intrahepatic bile ducts were correctly depicted in all the patients with benign or malignant obstruction of the common bile duct, but with some respiratory artifacts. Common bile duct stones were correctly depicted in 7 of 8 patients, but studying also the single coronal slices. With this method, the stones were clearly demonstrated in 22 examined gallbladders. Neoplastic obstruction and the obstruction level were correctly identified in all patients. Pancreatic ducts were shown in normal patients and in 8 of 13 patients with neoplastic or lithiasic obstruction of the common bile duct mainly on the pancreatic head. ERCP was carried out successfully in 5 patients with common bile duct stones and in 7 patients with neoplastic obstruction; in the other cancer patients, PTC was necessary. To conclude, respiratory-triggered 3D IR turbo spin-echo MRCP is a noninvasive technique to study mostly biliary conditions which yields similar information to ERCP and PTC in a large number of patients. Moreover, this sequence can be used with midfield MR units to study the obstruction of the biliary and pancreatic ducts not only when invasive techniques fail, but also routinely.

Large lipomas of the colon: CT and MR findings in three symptomatic cases.

We report on three patients with large lipomas in the wall of the cecum, causing intussusception. Endoscopy is the preferred modality for small lipomas, whereas CT and MR imaging are more useful in their ability in detecting fatty masses and assessing the location of lesions. Barium enema study may contribute to the preoperative planning in selected cases.

[Medial luxation of the long head of the brachial biceps. Magnetic resonance imaging]. / La lussazione mediale del capo lungo del muscolo bicipite del braccio. Quadri con risonanza magnetica.

The medial intraarticular dislocation of the biceps tendon of the shoulder is a rare pathologic condition and its diagnosis before surgery is very important to properly repair the tears of rotator cuff tendons, the rotator cuff being nearly always involved. We report our experience in 8 patients (1.8%) with biceps tendon dislocation observed in a series of 432 patients submitted to MR studies to address several diagnostic issues. The MR patterns of biceps tendon dislocation and the related physiopathologic mechanisms are discussed. The MR images were retrospectively reviewed by two of the authors and dislocations were diagnosed in a subgroup of 34 patients (7.8%), associated with full-thickness tears of the tendon of supraspinatus muscle; all patients also presented a full-thickness tear of the subscapularis tendon. A dislocated biceps tendon can follow a variety of courses depending on the pattern of subscapularis tendon tear. We always found a complete dislocation of the biceps tendon; other dislocation patterns reported in the literature, and particularly oblique and superficial dislocations, were never observed in our series. Dislocation is visible on axial images, where the tendon appears completely displaced from the bicipital groove, but also sagittal and coronal images can depict the more medial position of the tendon. In our patients this abnormality was correctly identified in 4 patients during the first observation and in the extant patients during the retrospective review. The dislocation of the biceps tendon of the shoulder was frequently associated with a complete tear of the supraspinatus tendon (23.5%). All patients exhibited severe joint effusion and in two patients the dislodged tendon was also inflamed.

Surgical therapy of esophageal leiomyoma.

BACKGROUND: Surgical enucleation is the treatment of choice in selected patients with esophageal leiomyoma. The video-thoracoscopic approach can potentially cause less patient discomfort postoperatively and reduce the hospital stay and recovery period. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective evaluation of 66 patients who underwent surgical therapy for esophageal leiomyoma over a 27-year period was done. The main symptoms were dysphagia in 35 (53 percent) patients, heartburn or regurgitation, or both, in 11 (17 percent) patients, and retrosternal pain in ten (15 percent) patients. Associated esophageal disorders were found in 19 patients (some patients had more than one disorder): hiatal hernia in 15 (23 percent), epiphrenic diverticulum in four (6 percent), and achalasia in three (5 percent). The operation consisted of leiomyoma enucleation in 63 patients, and esophageal resection in three. In six patients, the enucleation was successfully performed by video-thoracoscopy combined with intraoperative esophagoscopy. The muscle layer of the esophagus was approximated in the majority of the patients after tumor enucleation. RESULTS: There was no operative mortality. The incidence of intraoperative esophageal perforation was greater in patients who had previously undergone endoscopic biopsy (p < 0.01). In one patient, a pseudodiverticulum developed after thoracoscopic enucleation, requiring reoperation with approximation of the muscle layer for relief of dysphagia. The length of hospital stay was shorter in patients undergoing the video-assisted operation (p < 0.05). The median follow-up period was 53 months (range, 12 to 248 months). No recurrence of leiomyoma was observed. Overall, seven (11 percent) patients complained of heartburn or epigastric pain, or both, which was responsive to antisecretory drugs, but only three had such symptoms induced by the operation. In two patients the symptoms appeared after combined treatment of an epiphrenic diverticulum, and in one patient after simple leiomyoma enucleation. CONCLUSIONS: Enucleation of esophageal leiomyoma is a safe and effective operation. The video-thoracoscopic approach combined with intraoperative esophagoscopy allows performance of this procedure with the added advantage of shortening hospital stay. The muscle layer of the esophagus should be approximated to avoid decreasing the propulsive activity of the esophageal body. This may improve the long-term outcome of the operation by preserving the acid-clearing mechanism of the esophagus and reducing the incidence of postoperative reflux esophagitis.