Alpay Orki

Bronchogenic Cysts of the Lung: Report of 29 Cases

BACKGROUND Intrapulmonary bronchogenic cysts are congenital anomalies of the tracheobronchial tree and foregut. The aim of this retrospective study was to review the diagnosis, clinical and histological features, operative techniques, outcomes and follow-up of intrapulmonary bronchogenic cysts treated in a single institute. METHODS Twenty-nine patients with intrapulmonary bronchogenic cysts were treated surgically between 1990 and 2005. There were 17 female and 12 male patients and their ages ranged from 7 to 68 years. Patients were divided into two groups according to surgical procedure. Resection (lobectomy or wedge resection) was performed on Group I (n=18), and partial excision with de-epithelisation was performed on Group II (n=11). RESULTS Twenty-five patients (86.2%) were symptomatic. Cough and sputum were the most common symptoms. Twenty-four of the 29 BCs were simple cysts (82.7%) whereas 5 (17.3%) were complicated cysts. Postoperative hospital stay was 4.55+/-0.86 days in group I and 6.54+/-3.34 days in group II (P=0.172). Complications in Group I were pneumonia in one case and wound infection in two cases; prolonged air leakage were observed in two cases of Group II. No statistical difference was determined between the complication rates of the two groups (P=0.91). However a significant difference was determined between the complication rates of simple and complicated cysts (P=0.026). Two cases in Group II showed recurrence, whereas no recurrence occurred in Group I. (P=0.065) No postoperative mortality was observed in any of the groups. CONCLUSIONS All bronchogenic cysts should be treated surgically. We believe that partial excision with de-epithelisation may be an alternative to resection in symptomatic patients with limited respiratory capacity.

Pneumonectomy in Children for Destroyed Lung: Evaluation of 18 Cases

BACKGROUND Destroyed lung is an uncommon condition; it describes a nonfunctional lung and is most often caused by inflammatory diseases. Surgical resection is used to resolve or prevent complications and improve quality of life. We reviewed our experience in surgery for destroyed lung in children. METHODS The records of 18 children aged 16 years and younger who had undergone pneumonectomy for destroyed lung between 1991 and 2007 were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS Eighteen children, 10 males (55.5%) and 8 females, aged 5 to 16 years, with a mean age of 12.3 underwent pneumonectomy. Cough was the major presenting symptom (n = 18, 100%). The median preoperative period for symptoms was 6 years. Radiologic diagnostic methods included chest radiograph, computed tomography, bronchoscopy, and bronchography. Bronchiectasis (n = 13), tuberculosis (n = 4), and aspergillosis (n = 1) were the main pathologies. Five patients had tuberculosis history, and tuberculosis culture was positive in 2 patients. Pneumonectomy was applied to the left side in 14 and right side in 4 patients. There was no mortality. Complication occurred in 3 patients (atelectasis [n = 1], fistula and empyema [n = 1], and wound infection [n = 1]). Atelectasis was treated with bronchoscopy and stoma was needed for another patient for empyema. The mean follow-up was 64.9 months (range, 19 to 164 months). In their follow-up period, scoliosis was found in 1 patient. CONCLUSIONS The morbidity and mortality rates of pneumonectomy are acceptable for selected and well prepared children. Antibiotics and antituberculosis treatment in certain cases and good timing in pneumonectomy are essential. Children grew and developed normally after pneumonectomy.

Lung cancer and pregnancy

Lung cancer in the pregnant woman is a very rare and dramatic coincidence with poor prognosis. Treatment depends on the gestational week of the pregnancy, patients medical status, social, personal, familial, and even religious beliefs. We present a case of adenocarcinoma of the lung in a 34-year-old pregnant patient whose initial complaints were cough, dyspnea, fever and fatigue. She was diagnosed with pneumonia at another hospital, and antibiotic therapy was administered. Meanwhile, at 28 weeks she delivered a preterm low-birth-weight baby. Chest X-ray and thorax CT revealed a mass lesion in the upper left lung lobe. After admission to our clinic, needle aspiration of left supraclavicular lymph node and bronchoscopic biopsy from upper lobe bronchus showed a non-small lung cancer; adenocarcinoma. Brain MRI was normal. PET CT revealed multiple bone metastases. Multidisciplinary Tumor Committee at our hospital referred her to the Oncology Department as an advanced stage IV disease. Chemotherapy was administered with paclitaxel and carboplatin for a total of 12 weeks. Reassessment of the patient revealed new bone metastases and crizotinib was administered since her tumor was found positive for EML4-ALK mutations. The treatment was well tolerated. During a follow up period of 6 months her clinical condition was stable and no adverse events were encountered.

Malignant Invasive Thymoma in the Posterior Mediastinum

We present a rare case of malignant invasive thymoma (type A) arising from the posterior mediastinum. A 17-year-old girl was referred to our clinic after detection of a mass on a chest roentgenogram. Thoracoscopy showed a lobulated, pale yellowish mass located in the posterior compartment together with several foci in the lung parenchyma. The tumor and parenchymal foci were totally resected through a left minithoracotomy. Postoperative pathology revealed malignant invasive thymoma type A.

Videothoracoscopic approach to recurrence primary spontaneous pneumothorax: using of electrocoagulation in small bulla/blebs

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effectiveness of electrocoagulation of bullae/blebs and apical pleurectomy via videothoracoscopic approach.MethodsWe reviewed 42 patients who underwent Videoassisted thoracoscopy (VATS) procedure for recurrence primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) from 200022006. There were 30 male and 12 female patients with a median age of 30 years. The percentage of pneumothorax was calculated median of 60% (British Thoracic Society Guideline — 2003). Thirty-two (76.2%) bullae/blebs were observed with the median diameter of 15 mm (5–30).ResultsBulla ablation via cauterisation and apical pleurectomy was performed in 32 patients. Ten patients underwent only apical pleurectomy/abrasion because in this group there was not any either bulla or bleb could be found. The median duration of drainage time was 3 days. There was no mortality and complications occurred in five (11.9%) patients. Only two (4.76%) recurrence occurred during the 52 months (5 to 76) median follow-up period.ConclusionVideothoracoscopic bulla ablation with apical pleurectomy is a safe method for recurrence PSP. Especially, if the bulla or bleb is smaller than 20 mm the ablation via cauterisation reduces the expenses of VATS procedure by avoiding the use of stapler devices.

Video-assisted thoracoscopy for spontaneous pneumothorax after pneumonectomy.

In this paper, we present 3 patients who had previously undergone pneumonectomy and then presented with a spontaneous pneumothorax. The indication for pneumonectomy was tuberculosis and NSCLC in 2 and 1 patient, respectively. The interval between the surgery and development of pneumothorax was 2, 4, and 11 years. On admission, 2 of the 3 patients were in extreme respiratory distress requiring urgent chest tube insertion. In all patients we undertook elective video-assisted thoracoscopy with complete preparation for cardiopulmonary support on the side. Bullectomy and/or diathermy ablation for apical bullae and blebs were performed concomitantly with total parietal pleurectomy. The postoperative course was uneventful in the patients, and they remain on routine follow-up for up to 6-12 months without any complaints. Our experience suggests that emphysematous changes in the remaining lung should be carefully inspected during long-term follow-up after pneumonectomy. Video-assisted thoracoscopic (VAT) pleurectomy appears to be a good option for the management of spontaneous pneumothorax only if it is performed by a dedicated multidisciplinary team with various cardiopulmonary support facilities on the side.

A Schwannoma in the Middle Mediastinum Originated from the Phrenic Nerve

Neurogenic tumors are one of the major causes of mediastinal masses. Most of those detected in adulthood are benign and diagnosed incidentally [1]. Schwannomas may arise from various neural structures such as sympathetic or parasympathetic chain, intercostal nerves or spinal ganglia. Schwannomas are usually located in the posterior mediastinum. It is very rare for them to be localized in middle mediastinum or arise from the phrenic nerve [1, 2]. We present a case of Schwannoma that originated from the phrenic nerve and treated by videothoracoscopic resection.

End-to-side bronchial anastomosis using the continuous suture technique

S leeve resection with bronchial anastomosis has become a routine procedure in most thoracic units. Several studies have reported satisfactory outcomes after this surgery; however, they all used the traditional interrupted suture technique. Experience with the continuous suture technique for tracheal and bronchial anastomosis was first reported in 1999. This technique is rapid and easy to perform, and the results are comparable to those obtained using the interrupted suture technique. Kutlu and Goldstraw report 100 consecutive cases of various anastomoses; however, they were all performed end to end. Therefore, the reliability of the continuous suture technique for end-to-side bronchial anastomosis remains unconfirmed.

Idiopathic chylothorax in geriatrics: the oldest case report so far

Abstract Chylothorax is a rare condition characterized by accumulation of chylous fluid in the pleural space resulting in impaired ductus thoracic integrity. It can be an outcome of a traumatic process, although there are a few non-traumatic and/or idiopathic cases in current literature. In this article, we present the oldest case report so for, who is an 87-year-old woman complaining of acute respiratory distress symptoms with pleural effusion having no trauma history. The patient was analyzed for the disease etiology strenuously. Thoracentesis was performed together with imaging modalities and detailed systemic laboratory tests. Non-surgical treatment was successful as the outcome.

A rare cause of intercostal neuralgia: Ancient schwannoma of the chest wall

Intercostal neuralgia is a rare condition that causes pain along the intercostal nerves. Neural tumors of the chest mostly arise from mediastinum and only less than 5-10% of primary tumors originate from intercostal nerves. These patients are usually asymptomatic. Herein, we report a 42-year-old male patient with severe intercostal neuralgia due to the schwannoma of the chest wall. The patient underwent surgical resection and his histopathological diagnosis was a very rare type of schwannoma: ancient schwannoma. Resecting the tumor relieved his pain