The Overweight Paradox: Impact of Body Mass Index on Patients Undergoing VATS Lobectomy or Segmentectomy.

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of BMI on perioperative outcomes in patients undergoing VATS lobectomy or segmentectomy. Data from 5088 patients undergoing VATS lobectomy or segmentectomy, included in the VATS Group Italian Registry, were collected. BMI (kg/m2) was categorized according to the WHO classes: underweight, normal, overweight, obese. The effects of BMI on outcomes (complications, 30-days mortality, DFS and OS) were evaluated with a linear regression model, and with a logistic regression model for binary endpoints. In overweight and obese patients, operative time increased with BMI value. Operating room time increased by 5.54 minutes (S.E. = 1.57) in overweight patients, and 33.12 minutes (S.E. = 10.26) in obese patients (P < 0.001). Compared to the other BMI classes, overweight patients were at the lowest risk of pulmonary, acute cardiac, surgical, major, and overall postoperative complications. In the overweight range, a BMI increase from 25 to 29.9 did not significantly affect the length of stay, nor the risk of any complications, except for renal complications (OR: 1.55; 95% CI: 1.07-2.24; P = 0.03), and it reduced the risk of prolonged air leak (OR: 0.8; 95% CI: 0.71-0.90; P < 0.001). 30-days mortality is higher in the underweight group compared to the others. We did not find any significant difference in DFS and OS. According to our results, obesity increases operating room time for VATS major lung resection. Overweight patients are at the lowest risk of pulmonary, acute cardiac, surgical, major, and overall postoperative complications following VATS resections. The risk of most postoperative complications progressively increases as the BMI deviates from the point at the lowest risk, towards both extremes of BMI values. Thirty days mortality is higher in the underweight group, with no differences in DFS and OS.

Trans-thoracic versus retropleural approach for symptomatic thoracic disc herniations: comparative analysis of 94 consecutive cases.

PURPOSE: The authors illustrate their results in the surgical treatment of symptomatic thoracic disc herniations (TDHs) by comparing the traditional open to the less invasive retropleural lateral approaches. METHODS: Retrospective review of 94 consecutive cases treated at a single Institution between 1988 and 2014. Fifty-two patients were males, 42 females, mean age was 53.9 years. Mean follow-up was 46.9 months (12-79 months). 33 patients were diagnosed with a giant thoracic disc herniation (GTDH). Upon admission, the most common symptoms were: motor impairment (91.4%, n = 86), neuropathic radicular pain with VAS > 4 (50%), bladder and bowel dysfunction (57.4% and 41.4% respectively) and sensory disturbances (29.7%). The surgical approach was based upon level, laterality and presence or absence of calcified lesions. RESULTS: Decompression was performed in 7 cases via a thoraco-laparo-phrenotomy and in 87 cases via an antero-lateral thoracotomy. Out of the latter cases, 49 (56%) were trans-thoracic trans-pleural approaches (TTA) and 38 (44%) were less invasive retropleural approaches (MIRA). At follow-up, there were 59.5% neurologically intact patients according to the McCormick Scale, while 64.8% and 67% had no bladder or bowel dysfunction respectively. Complications occurred in 24 patients (25.5%). Pulmonary complications were the commonest (12.7%) with pleural effusion being significantly more common in patients treated with TTA compared to MIRA (20% vs 5.2%: X2 4.13 P:0.042). Severe post-operative neuralgia (VAS 7-10) was also significantly more frequent in the TTA group (22.4% vs 2.6% X2 7.07 p 0.0078). CONCLUSIONS: MIRA is a safe and effective technique to obtain adequate TDH decompression and is associated with lower morbidity compared to TTA.

What counts more: the patient, the surgical technique, or the hospital? A multivariable analysis of factors affecting perioperative complications of pulmonary lobectomy by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery from a large nationwide registry.

OBJECTIVES: Inherent technical aspects of pulmonary lobectomy by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) may limit surgeons' ability to deal with factors predisposing to complications. We analysed complication rates after VATS lobectomy in a prospectively maintained nationwide registry. METHODS: The registry was queried for all consecutive VATS lobectomy procedures from 49 Italian Thoracic Units. Baseline condition, tumour features, surgical techniques, devices, postoperative care, complications, conversions and the reasons thereof were detailed. Univariable and multivariable regressions were used to assess factors potentially linked to complications. RESULTS: Four thousand one hundred and ninety-one VATS lobectomies in 4156 patients (2480 men, 1676 women) were analysed. The median age-adjusted Charlson index of the patients was 4 (interquartile range 3-6). Grade 1 and 2 and Grade 3-5 complications were observed in 20.1% and in 5.8%, respectively. Ninety-day mortality was 0.55%. The overall conversion rate was 9.2% and significantly higher in low-volume centres (<100 cases, P < 0.001), but there was no significant difference between intermediate- and high-volume centres under this aspect. Low-volume centres were significantly more likely to convert due to issues with difficult local anatomy, but not significantly so for bleeding. Conversion, lower case-volume, comorbidity burden, male gender, adhesions, blood loss, operative time, sealants and epidural analgesia were significantly associated with increased postoperative morbidity. CONCLUSIONS: VATS lobectomy is a safe procedure even in medically compromised patients. An improved classification system for conversions is proposed and prevention strategies are suggested to reduce conversion rates and possibly complications in less-experienced centres.

VATS thymectomy for early stage thymoma and myasthenia gravis: combined right-sided uniportal and left-sided three-portal approach.

The traditional approach to thymectomy requires median sternotomy based on the assumption that it is the best means to achieve adequate resection margins, complete removal of the thymus and clearance of the anterior mediastinal fat. However, in recent years, VATS thymectomy has been gaining acceptance as a means to achieve adequate oncologic results and symptomatic improvement of myasthenic symptoms with less impact on the patient. We have adopted a flexible approach based on the location of the tumor and on whether the patient has myasthenia gravis (MG) or not when planning minimally invasive VATS thymectomy. A preferential approach from the left side is chosen for clinical stage I-II thymomas located on the left side or on the midline in patients without MG, and a bilateral approach (uniportal VATS on the right side and three-portal VATS on the left side) for MG patients with or without thymoma in order to achieve complete clearance of the anterior mediastinal fat on both sides. Such techniques are herewith clearly illustrated in hope that surgeons wishing to endeavor in such an effort will be facilitated.

Acute respiratory distress caused by a giant mediastinal lipoblastoma in a 16-month-old boy.

Lipoblastoma is a rare benign tumor arising from embryonic fat; it occurs mainly in the extremities and almost exclusively in infants and children younger than 3 years. We present a case of giant mediastinal lipoblastoma in a 16-month-old boy who presented with acute respiratory distress. The mass was completely excised through a left posterolateral thoracotomy. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the pathologic final diagnosis was lipoblastoma. Although extremely rare, mediastinal lipoblastoma can be life threatening; therefore, it should be included in the differential diagnosis of mediastinal mass in younger subjects.

A rare cause of dyspnea in adult: a right Bochdalek's hernia-containing colon.

Symptomatic cases of Bochdalek's hernia (BH) are uncommon in adults; symptoms arise only due to complications. Most of symptomatic cases are related to a left-sided hernia. Right colon herniation in adults has never been reported. We present a case of a 70-year-old woman with right BH-containing colon. The patient was successfully treated by combined laparoscopic and thoracoscopic approach.

Is sampling really effective in staging non-small cell lung cancer? A prospective study.

Is sampling really effective in staging non-small cell lung cancer? The aim of the study was to assess if systematic nodal dissection is necessary in order to stage non-small cell lung cancer correctly or whether mediastinal lymph node sampling can be used and whether in selected cases it could replace systematic nodal dissection for the treatment of lung cancer. A prospective study was conducted in 94 patients affected by clinically resectable non-small cell lung cancer (stages I-IIIB) who were surgically treated by the same team of surgeons. During surgery mediastinal lymph node sampling was done first and then another surgeon completed the systematic nodal dissection and performed the lung resection. One hundred and ninety-three mediastinal nodal stations were investigated using the American Thoracic Society lymph node map to identify them. On analysing the 193 mediastinal nodal stations investigated, it emerged that in 181 cases (94%) mediastinal lymph node sampling and systematic nodal dissection yielded the same histopathological findings, whereas in 12 cases (6%) there was no agreement between the two techniques. The negative predictive value of mediastinal lymph node sampling was 92.8% (103/111). The results of the study show no statistical difference between mediastinal lymph node sampling and systematic nodal dissection in staging non-small cell lung cancer. However, it is possible that in a limited percentage of cases a nodal station could be understaged and thus the surgical resection could prove incomplete if mediastinal lymph node sampling alone is performed. Moreover, in those cases where mediastinal lymph node sampling detects N2 disease and systematic nodal dissection has not been completed, the intervention cannot be considered radical.

Very unusual case of post-traumatic chylothorax.

Chylothorax is a rare disease caused by both traumatic and nontraumatic events. Chylothorax can cause cardiopulmonary abnormalities and significant nutritional, metabolic, and immunologic consequences. We present an exceptional case of chylothorax due to penetrating chest trauma. The diagnosis was made by thoracentesis. Conservative management with nothing by mouth and total parenteral nutrition failed; therefore the patient needed surgical closure of the duct leak.

[Mediastinoscopy for diagnosis of diseases of the chest and staging of lung cancer: our experience in 253 cases]. / La mediastinoscopia nella diagnostica delle malattie del torace e nella stadiazione del cancro del polmone: nostra esperienza di 253 casi.

The main indications for cervical mediastinoscopy are preoperative staging of lung cancer and diagnostic biopsy of mediastinal mass (lymphoma, sarcoidosis, tuberculosis etc.). We undertook a retrospective review of our experience of mediastinal exploration by cervical media-stinoscopy: 253 mediastinoscopies were performed on 252 patients (195 male and 57 female; mean age 53 years, range 14-88 years) between 1995 and June 2003. Four extended mediastinoscopies were performed and 1 patient had a re-mediastinoscopy following a non-diagnostic procedure. 319 lymph nodal stations were investigated in 253 procedures. We observed no mortality, while 2 patients had major bleeding (0.7%), with the need for open surgical treatment in order to achieve haemostasis. The median length of hospital-stay was one day, with discharge in the first postoperative day. 69 out of 170 patients, who eventually resulted to be affected by a histologically proven lung cancer, had a negative mediastinoscopy. Fifteen of them resulted N2 at the time of surgery: 8 patients with a false negativity in a biopsied station (4 in station 4R and 4 in station 7), while 7 cases showed infiltration in stations which were not sampled (5 in station 5, 1 in station 8 and 1 in station 7, the latter being the only one in which a standard cervical mediastincoscopy could have been able to stage it correctly). So, having observed 61 true negatives and 8 false-negatives in the sampled stations, in our experience the negative predictive value of cervical mediastinoscopy was 88.4%, with 78.2% of patients correctly staged without using other diagnostic tools. In conclusion, mediastinoscopy is an important procedure for the diagnostic biopsy of mediastinal mass and a useful tool in preoperative staging of lung cancer, especially if associated with chest CT-scan and Positron Emission Tomography (PET). In our experience, the spreading of PET does not lead to a reduction of cervical mediastinoscopies, both for the contemporary introduction of new chemotherapeutic preoperative protocols and, above all, for the not negligible incidence of false-positive results using PET, suggesting that media-stinoscopy should always be performed in patients affected by a PET-positive mediastinal growth.

Cushing's syndrome induced by bronchopulmonary carcinoid tumours: a review of 98 cases and our experience of two cases.

Bronchopulmonary carcinoids are one of the most common cause of ectopic secretion of corticotropin (ACTH) and account for approximately 1% of all the patients in whom Cushing's syndrome develops. We reviewed 98 cases described in the World Literature and we report on two new cases. A 60-year old woman affected by Cushing's syndrome underwent to surgical wedge resection of a peripheral pulmonary nodule and a 30-year old woman with similar clinical features underwent to middle lobectomy for a small hilar neoplasm. Histopathologic examination of the tumours defined them as typical bronchopulmonary carcinoids. The patients are asymptomatic and with no sign of recurrence 72 and 30 months after surgery. According to our review we found no clear evidence that bronchial carcinoids associated with Cushing's syndrome should be considered a more aggressive variant or subtype of the typical carcinoid. If Cushing's syndrome does not disappear after surgery, the presence of residual disease (often a nodal involvement) should be investigated. A long-term relapse of the syndrome requires a careful search for local or distant neoplastic recurrence.