Thromboembolism in patients undergoing thoracotomy.

To determine the incidence of thromboembolism in relation to thoracotomy, 77 patients undergoing pulmonary resection were prospectively studied up to 30 days postoperatively for deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. Overall, 20 of 77 patients (26%) had thromboembolic events during their hospitalization. Four deep venous thromboses and 1 pulmonary embolism were detected in 5 of 77 patients preoperatively for an incidence of 6%. Postoperative thromboembolism was detected in 15 of 77 (19%): deep venous thrombosis in 11 (14%) and pulmonary embolism in 4 (5%). No postoperative thromboembolisms occurred in the 17 patients receiving preoperative aspirin or ibuprofen, whereas they did occur in 25% of the remainder (15/60). Thromboembolism after pulmonary resection was more frequent with bronchogenic carcinoma than with metastatic cancer or benign disease (15/59 [25%] versus 0/18 [0%]; p < 0.01), adenocarcinoma compared with other types of carcinoma (11/25 [44%] versus 4/34 [12%]; p < 0.0004), large primary lung cancer (> 3 cm in diameter) compared with smaller lesions (9/19 [47%] versus 6/40 [15%]; p < 0.0001), stage II compared with stage I (7/14 [50%] versus 7/34 [21%]; p < 0.04), and pneumonectomy or lobectomy compared with segmentectomy and wedge resection (14/49 [29%] versus 1/28 [4%]; p < 0.005). Three of 4 patients with thromboembolism detected preoperatively had operation within the previous year. Postoperative pulmonary embolism was fatal in 1 of 4 (25%) and accounted for the one death. These results suggest patients undergoing thoracotomy for lung cancer, especially adenocarcinoma, should be considered for thromboembolic prophylaxis.

Pulmonary artery sleeve resection for abutting left upper lobe lesions.

Because the left upper lobe bronchus overlies the left pulmonary artery (PA), T2-3 lesions, N0-1 disease, or rarely inflammation may involve this vessel, necessitating lobectomy with partial PA resection or pneumonectomy with sacrifice of the lower lobe. In 486 operations performed for left upper lobe lesions between 1966 and 1992 (wedge, 111; segmentectomy, 131; lobectomy, 155; pneumonectomy, 89), isolated PA encroachment was caused by bronchogenic carcinoma (32), invasive aspergillosis (2), or organized pneumonitis (1) and occurred in 9% (32/360) of malignant left upper lobe tumors and 2% (3/126) of benign lesions. Initially (1966 through 1979), PA involvement was the indication for 30% (18/60) of left pneumonectomies. Later (1980 through 1990), tangential resection of the PA was attempted in 11, 5 ending up with pneumonectomy. Overall, 35 of 244 patients undergoing major left upper lobe resection (lobectomy or pneumonectomy) had PA encroachment. Recently, we have performed, selectively in patients with restricted lung function, six left upper lobectomies with sleeve resection of the PA. Paneled saphenous vein interposition was used (3) or 18-mm polytetrafluorethylene tube prostheses (3). All patients survived, 1 later requiring completion pneumonectomy for bronchostenosis after wedge bronchoplasty. Two have since died of metastases or pulmonary insufficiency; the remainder (average follow-up, 17 months) are asymptomatic with lower lobe function in 3 confirmed by differential ventilation-perfusion scans and pulmonary angiography.

Advantages of the Papillon protocol in the preoperative treatment of rectal carcinoma.

Standard treatment for advanced rectal carcinoma currently includes surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. Although there are theoretic advantages to preoperative irradiation, it is often not performed because of the prolonged delay of surgery and the purported increase in perioperative complications. A pilot study was undertaken at our institution to evaluate a treatment protocol advocated by Dr. Papillon that offers a shorter treatment time and less patient morbidity than conventional preoperative therapy for rectal carcinoma. Twenty patients with rectal cancer underwent the preoperative regimen that consisted of 3,000 cGy delivered in 10 fractions over 12 days with concomitant 5-fluorouracil and mitomycin-C. Complications were acceptable. Local recurrence was lower than in most reported trials, and survival rates were comparable. Additional benefits of the protocol include lower radiation morbidity to the patient and a decreased delay between diagnosis and surgery.