Nipple sparing mastectomy with immediate silicone implant reconstruction for malignant phyllodes tumor in a 19-year-old girl.

OBJECTIVE: Due to the rarity of MPT, the clinical records in the literature, collected along decades, lack to address a modern approach to breast reconstruction after mastectomy. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a case of a teen-aged female diagnosed to have a malignant phyllodes in her right breast. DISCUSSION: The surgical treatment of choice, taking in account the relation between the volume of the mass and the breast dimension, was considered to be a mastectomy. As the disease didn't involve the skin envelope a nipple-areolar-sparing gland removal allowed an immediate prosthetic reconstruction with a contralateral augmentation for symmetrization, so obtaining a satisfactory aesthetic outcome. CONCLUSIONS: At our knowledge we present for the first time this surgical approach that, in selected patients, can reach the oncologic radicality and an adequate cosmetic result too.

Endotracheal migration of a central venous catheter.

Subcutaneous infusion ports for prolonged central venous access are commonly used for drug administration and parenteral nutrition in a wide range of chronic diseases. The extensive use of these devices has to be balanced against its complications, some of which potentially life-threatening. We describe the case of a patient admitted to our unit with haemoptysis and cough. At bronchoscopy the tip of the central venous catheter was discovered protruding into the tracheal lumen. The catheter was pulled out from the subcutaneous pouch under simultaneous surgical control of the tracheal fistula orifice.

The bilobectomies for lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of our retrospective study is to confirm that bilobectomy is a feasible operation with an oncological value. METHODS: From 1981 to 1998, 46 patients underwent bilobectomy for lung cancer. Eight upper and middle lobectomies (UML) and 38 middle and lower lobectomies (MLL) were performed. Intraoperative pneumoperitoneum was done in 11 MLL. We have considered operative mortality, postoperative complications, the persistence of drainage tubes and the length of hospital stay and the data were statistically compared with those relative to right lobectomies. Survival was estimated with the Kaplan-Meier method and the curves were compared with those of the right lobectomies and right pneumonectomies using the log-rank test. RESULTS: Overall morbidity was 43.4%. Mortality was 6.5%. Mean chest tube persistence was 7.8 days and mean hospital stay was 14 days. No statistical significance was found about these data comparing the UML and MLL separately and the bilobectomies with the right lobectomies. The pneumoperitoneum done in the MLL enabled a shorter hospital stay, statistically significant, in comparison with MLL without pneumoperitoneum. The overall 5-year survival rate was 38%. Considering the I and the II stages no statistical differences in survival were found considering the right lobectomies and right pneumonectomies. CONCLUSIONS: The bilobectomies can have a role in treatment of lung cancer that is equal to the other standard major resections.

Unusually located hydatid cysts miming a pulmonary tumor invaliding the spine.

Hydatid disease is a worldwide encountered zoonosis but at present very rare in Europe, liver and lungs being the most frequently involved sites. Bone involvement is very uncommon and the vertebral spine is the most common site of skeletal involvement (less than 1% overall). We report a case of vertebral hydatid disease with secondary pleuro-pulmonary involvement successfully treated by emergency spinal decompression followed by lung resection en bloc with chest wall and partial vertebrectomy.

Spontaneous intercostal pulmonary hernia.

A case of spontaneous intercostal pulmonary hernia as a result of vigorous coughing is reported in a 67-year-old man. The great majority of acquired pulmonary hernias are post-traumatic; rare cases are spontaneous, resulting from prolonged and/or repeated increased intrathoracic pressure. This hernia was successfully repaired with a polyglactin absorbable mesh and approximation of the ribs with heavy stitches. When required, surgical repair is the treatment of choice.

[Biopsy of sentinel lymph nodes in the treatment of breast carcinoma: experience of the Surgery Department of the Hospital of Parma]. / La biopsia del linfonodo sentinella nel trattamento del carcinoma mammario: esperienza del Dipartimento Chirurgico dell'Azienda Ospedaliera di Parma.

Radical axillary nodes dissection in breast cancer is a standard for a correct staging, unfortunately this approach can cause several unpleasant sequelae and complications. Sentinel node biopsy applied to breast tumors could be a good option for predicting axillary nodes status avoiding complete dissection. The aim of this work is to report our experience with sentinel node biopsy during a period of 18 months. One hundred and nine patients with an infiltrating breast tumor T1 had been studied. There wasn't clinical and ultrasonographic evidence of axillary infiltration. Tumors had been injected on the day before surgery with a mixture of colloidal human albumin particles marked with 99m Technetium. In 108 out of 109 patients (99%) sentinel node had been identified using a gamma probe and biopsied during surgical intervention performed under local anesthesia. Sentinel node has been examined both with conventional histology and immunohistochemistry. In 26 cases the node was positive for metastases. Radical axillary dissection in this subgroup of patients showed that in 85% of them sentinel node was the only positive. We conclude that sentinel node biopsy can be a good alternative to traditional axillary dissection but there are still important questions about the best method of analysis and, before the technique become a routine procedure in breast cancer management, we should know the results of prospective clinical trials comparing survival of patients staged by sentinel node biopsy versus traditional axillary dissection.

The effect of dextran for hypothermic (10 degrees C) preservation of human fetal lung fibroblasts.

BACKGROUND: Low-potassium (LP) solution with Dextran (Dx) improves lung preservation. Nevertheless, the role of Dx in simple cold storage is not established yet. This study was designed to investigate the relationship between molecular weight and concentration of Dx in LP solutions and its effects on cell viability after prolonged hypothermic preservation. METHODS: Human fetal lung fibroblasts (WI-38) were preserved at 10 degrees C for 16 hrs in five solutions containing respectively Dx11, Dx17, Dx39.2, Dx71, Dx178 at 2% and at 5% concentrations and in LP solution without Dx. Cell viability was assessed by means of both the analysis of the total protein content (cytotoxicity index) and the rate of protein synthesis (index of cellular functioning). RESULTS: No differences were recorded in total protein content among the solutions tested. By contrast, the index of cellular functioning was significantly higher using LPDx178 at both concentrations. However, LPDx178 exerted a more significant cytotoxic effect than did LP alone. CONCLUSIONS: These effects were not mediated by the variation of osmolarity; two factors probably influenced this protection: the low oncotic pressure of the LPDx178 solution and an effect chemically specific due to the increased molecular weight of Dx still unknown. Nevertheless, during 10 degrees C preservation, WI-38 cells were better preserved with LP solution without Dx confirming, thus, that during simple cold storage the presence of an oncotic pressure might be harmful.

[The surgical treatment of nonpalpable breast carcinomas]. / Il trattamento chirurgico dei carcinomi non palpabili della mammella.

The wide-spreading use of mammography in clinical approach and in screening programmes contributed to a sensible modification in the population of patients affected by breast malignancies. A special increase has been recorded in non-palpable breast tumors. The Authors have analyzed a total of 135 patients with impalpable breast lesions during the period 1990-1997. All patients underwent fine needle stereotactic aspiration for cytology and in the meantime the lesions were marked with charcoal suspension and within 15 days time a surgical open biopsy was performed. The subgroup of malignant lesions was then surgically treated either with radical quadrantectomy or mastectomy. The results of the analysis confirmed that fine needle biopsy is an imperfect test because of its low sensibility and impossibility of distinguishing between infiltrating and "in situ" carcinomas; the stereotactic tattooing of the lesions is reliable for surgical approach. The rate of in situ carcinomas is remarkably higher than in non selected group of patients affected by palpable cancers. Pathologic staging confirms that non-palpable tumors are of better prognosis and they should benefit in large majority of a conservative surgical treatment.

CT-guided transthoracic needle biopsy in the diagnosis of chest tumours.

Percutaneous Transthoracic Needle Biopsy (PTNB) is an accepted technique for the diagnosis of suspected intrathoracic malignancy and, although the appropriate indications have not been clearly defined yet, its use has rapidly expanded in the last years. The authors reviewed retrospectively their experience over one-year time biopsies and analyzed some controversies regarding this diagnostic procedure.

Pneumocytes type II ultrastructural modifications after storage in preservation solutions for transplantation.

Although lung transplantation represents a real therapeutic opportunity, the problem of preserving the organ for a prolonged period (> 10 h) still remains unsolved. Further studies are necessary to fully understand the behavior of different lung cell types during the ischemic period. As ultrastructural modifications of cells of lung samples stored in different means of preservation represent an index of the integrity and therefore of cellular viability, in the present work we have compared the time-related ultrastructural changes in human pneumocytes type II cells after hypothermic (10 degrees C) storage for 6 and 12 h in University of Wisconsin (UW) solution and in low potassium dextran (LPD) solution. An ultrastructural grading scale was used to quantify the damage and the results confirmed what was observed microscopically. Statistical analysis (t test) of the data showed that after 6 h in LPD solution, pneumocytes type II were less damaged than those stored in UW solution; these differences were statistically significant (p < 0.05). In our opinion, ultrastructural studies should be considered among the methods presently used to assess the effectiveness of different storage fluids.

[Bronchiolo-alveolar carcinoma. The clinico-diagnostic and therapeutic considerations and the results of a retrospective study in our experience]. / Il carcinoma bronchioloalveolare. Considerazioni clinico-diagnostiche e terapeutiche e risultati dello studio retrospettivo della nostra esperienza.

Bronchioloalveolar carcinoma (BAC) is a subtype of adenocarcinoma of the lung that accounts for 3% of the total pulmonary malignancies. On the basis of literature on the topic, the following were taken into consideration, the history, the incidence, the epidemiology, the aetiopathogenesis, the clinical characteristics, the diagnostic as well as the surgical therapy of this kind of cancer. The authors reviewed our surgical experience of 23 patients treated at the Department of General, Thoracic & Vascular Surgery of the University of Parma during a 10-years period from 1985 to 1995.

[The transmanubrial approach for tumors of the superior thoracic aperture]. / Approccio trans-manubriale per i tumori dello stretto toracico superiore.

A considerable difficulty in surgical management of apical chest tumors is represented by the potential involvement of the thoracic outlet anatomic structures (i.e.: vertebral body, subclavian vessels, first rib). Among the various techniques proposed, the anterior trans-cervical approach popularized by Dartevelle significantly improved the radical treatment of these tumors. This approach offers a wide access to the thoracic outlet with satisfactory control of subclavian vessels, safe dissection of brachial plexus and upper part of the mediastinum, permitting a radical treatment. However, this approach is associated invariably with aesthetic deformity, severe impairment in shoulder mobility (due to medial half clavicle sacrifice) and respiratory failure in case of chest wall resection. The authors present their experience with an alternative approach, the trans-manubrial osteomuscular sparing approach to anteriorly situated apical chest tumors recently standardized by Grunenwald and Spaggiari. From June 1996 to June 1997 5 patients were operated on through this approach: 3 non-small-cell lung cancer, 1 pseudotumor, 1 desmoid tumor of the first rib. In 2 cases the resection was extended respectively to the vertebral body (D1-2-3 hemivertebrectomy) and to the subclavian vessels. This patient died on 10-postoperative day for massive pulmonary ernbolism, whereas no other complications were recorded. This technique compared to the approach popularized by Dartavelle presents the same oncological radicality, with a better surgical exposure and with the complete sparing of osteomuscular components that allow the maintainance of shoulder girdle movements associated excellent functional and cosmetic results.

The effect of trehalose on human lung fibroblasts stored in euro-collins and low potassium dextran solutions.

BACKGROUND: The research on lung preservation for transplantation is directed to synthesize a solution, in order to prolong the preservation period, thus avoiding the damage to lung tissues caused by ischemia. In recent years some in vivo experimental papers have been published, in which good results were obtained by adding trehalose, a non-reducing disaccharide able to stabilize the cell membrane, to the storage solutions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study we have evaluated the effects on human lung fibroblasts of commonly used storage solutions like Euro-Collins (EC) and Low Potassium Dextran (LPD), in which trehalose has respectively replaced glucose (T-EC) or was added (LPD-T). The cultures were incubated for 8 hours at 10 degrees C in standard and modified solutions. RESULTS: The data relative to EC compared to EC-T showed that the total protein content and the rate of protein synthesis, that is in other words cell viability, are drastically compromised. Concerning LPD-T, compared to standard LPD, a slightly decrease of the total protein content and of the rate of protein synthesis in the cells incubated in the modified solution were observed. The reasons for these unexpected data are related to the hypothesis that during the ischemic period membrane stabilization is neither the main nor the only factor responsible for the cellular damage. Moreover the role of trehalose in preservation solutions, is still not clear and should be further investigated. CONCLUSIONS: With the limits of the study of single cells in vitro, the advantages of trehalose containing solutions proved ineffective and toxic especially as for as EC-T is concerned.

An original application of plasma expanders: heart-lung preservation.

The lack of an ideal heart-lung preservation solution is one of the principal factor that limits the wide spread of transplantation. The aim of this work was to investigate the efficacy of Haemaccel (HM) on isolated human pulmonary artery endothelial cells comparing its effects with those of University of Wisconsin (UWS). Subcultures of HPAEC were inoculated at the density of 5,000 cells per cm2 in 9 cm2 well-plates. Cells were incubated with HM and UWS for 6 hrs at 10 degrees C. Cellular viability was analysed by the total protein content (cytotoxicity index) and by the rate of protein synthesis (metabolic index). The results showed that HM and UWS did no show a significant differences in the toxicity when compared with the control; on the contrary, HM seems to determine a less inhibitory effect on cellular metabolism permitting a more rapid cellular metabolic recovery than UWS. Thus, HM appears to be more suitable for the preservation of isolated HPAEC than UWS.

Mediastinoscopy, thoracoscopy and left anterior mediastinotomy in the diagnosis of N2 non small cell lung cancer.

The preoperative diagnosis of the involvement of the N2 lymph nodes is very important in patients with NSCLC for the most appropriate treatment. The classical diagnostic techniques for mediastinal exploration, mediastinoscopy and left anterior mediastinotomy, have been recently integrated by videothoracoscopy. FromJanuary 1993 to April 1994 186 patients with NSCLC suitable for surgery, were observed in our Department. 18 patients (9%) had CT evidence of N2 disease. In 10 cases the sites of the nodal enlargement were the right paratracheal station (#2 according to Naruke) and the right tracheobronchial station (#4), in 4 the subcarinal station (#7), in 2 the subaortic (#5) and in the remaining 2 cases the paraaortic station (#6). 14 mediastinoscopies were performed to investigate the stations 2,4 and 7,2 videothoracoscopies for station 5 and 2 left anterior mediastinotomies for station 6. The histological diagnosis was obtained in all cases without intraoperative or postoperative complications. Because the sequence chemotherapy-surgery seems to obtain the best results in the treatment of N2 disease the preoperative diagnosis of nodal involvement is of outstanding importance. Until recently mediastinoscopy and anterior left mediastinotomy were considered the standard techniques to explore mediastinum, now also videothoracoscopy has been introduced. In our experience, the integration of all the above techniques allowed a complete study of each suspect N2 site. Particularly the videothoracoscopy is very useful to safely biopsy under direct vision the aortic window lymph nodes.

An effective solution for prolonged preservation of cultured human pulmonary artery endothelial cells.

Pulmonary endothelium is considered the compartment most susceptible to preservation damage. This investigation was designed to analyze the efficacy of an original, University of Parma low-potassium-albumin solution (SPAL UP) on cultured human pulmonary artery endothelial cells (HPAEC) and to compare its effects with those of University of Wisconsin solution (UW) and Euro-Collins solution (EC). Cryopreserved HPAEC tertiary cultures were inoculated at the density of 5000 cells/cm2 in 9-cm2 well-plates; subcultures were then incubated at 10 degrees C for 6 hr and 16 hr in 2 ml/well of SPAL UP, UW, and EC. The HPAEC viability after incubation was assessed by evaluating the total protein content and the expression of cytotoxicity, and by analyzing the rate of protein synthesis and expression of cellular functionality after stress. Results after 6 hr of preservation showed that SPAL UP had a less significant cytotoxic effect than EC, exerted a less depressing effect on cellular metabolism, and enhanced functional recovery of endothelial cells compared with UW. At the second time interval (16 hr), SPAL UP provided a less cytotoxic effect than UW; besides, SPAL UP-induced cytotoxicity was similar to that of warm control. In conclusion, in vitro preliminary data regarding the use of SPAL UP in HPAEC preservation suggest its suitability as solution for prolonged lung protection.