Eric L.R. Bédard

Diaphragmatic plication offers functional improvement in dyspnoea and better pulmonary function with low morbidity

A best evidence topic in thoracic surgery was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was as follows: In adults with unilateral diaphragmatic paralysis, does diaphragmatic plication offer functional improvement in dyspnoea, better pulmonary function tests (PFTs) and return to activity? A total of 126 papers were found using the reported search, of which 13 represented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The authors, date and country of publication, patient group studied, surgical approach, study type, relevant outcomes and results of these articles are tabulated. Those articles reporting improvement in PFTs following plication, documented this benefit in the following parameters: mean forced vital capacity (range 17-40%), forced expiratory volume at 1 sec (range 21-27%), functional residual capacity (range 20-21%) and total lung capacity (range 16-19%). The percentage of postoperative improvement in shortness of breath as measured by a dyspnoea score was reported to be between 90 and 96% in the thoracotomy group and 100% in the Video Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS) group, the dyspnoea score that was used in all the studies was a visual analogue scale between 0 and 10 where 0 is no dyspnoea and 10 is the worst dyspnoea a patient can have. One of the studies reported postoperative normalization in ventilation perfusion scan (VQ) scan parameters when compared with the preoperative mismatch. Complication rate was similar between the two groups, while the mortality rate was 4% in the thoracotomy group and 0% in the VATS group. The total number of patients included in all the studies combined was 161. All reports included in this review are observational studies (one cohort study and the remainder being case series); therefore, the risk of selection, information and publication biases are high and conclusions should be implemented with caution. We conclude that diaphragmatic plication can improve the functional status, shortness of breath and PFTs of patients with unilateral diaphragm paralysis. Patients undergoing a VATS approach appear to have more advantages in objective and subjective measures (including PFTs, dyspnoea score, length of hospital stay and postoperative complications). Further research with high-quality study designs is advised, focussing mainly on the long-term benefits and assessment of health-related quality of life.

The clinical significance of incidental intra-abdominal findings on positron emission tomography performed to investigate pulmonary nodules

BackgroundLung cancer is a common cause of cancer-related death. Staging typically includes positron emission tomography (PET) scanning, in which18F-fluoro-2-dexoy-D-glucose (FDG) is taken up by cells proportional to metabolic activity, thus aiding in differentiating benign and malignant pulmonary nodules. Uptake of FDG can also occur in the abdomen. The clinical significance of incidental intraabdominal FDG uptake in the setting of pulmonary nodules is not well established. Our objective was to report on the clinical significance of incidental intra-abdominal FDG activity in the setting of lung cancer.MethodsFifteen hundred FDG-PET reports for studies performed for lung cancer were retrospectively reviewed for the presence of incidental FDG-positive intraabdominal findings. Patient charts with positive findings were then reviewed and information extracted.ResultsTwenty-five patients (25/1500) demonstrated incidental intraabdominal FDG uptake thought to be significant (1.7%) with a mean patient age of 71 years. Colonic uptake was most common (n = 17) with 9 (52%) being investigated further. Of these 9 cases, a diagnosis of malignancy was made in 3 patients, pre-malignant adenomas in 2 patients, a benign lipoma in 1 patient and no abnormal findings in the remaining patients. 8 patients were not investigated further (3 diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer and 2 were of advanced age) secondary to poor prognosis.ConclusionIncidental abdominal findings in the colon on FDG-PET scan for work-up of pulmonary nodules need to be further investigated by colonoscopy.

Novel Fixation Technique for the Surgical Repair of Lung Hernias

We describe a novel technique for dealing with the rare complication of post-traumatic or post-thoracotomy lung herniation. The method uses techniques and fixation devices that have been developed for stabilization and fixation of the spine and surgical management of scoliosis. It allows for a secure, reliable, and easily reproducible fixation of the chest-wall in patients with large intercostal lung hernias using standard spinal instruments.

A systematic review and meta-analysis to assess patient-reported outcomes after lung cancer surgery.

The main objective of this review was to systematically review, assess, and report on the studies that have assessed health related quality of life (HRQOL) after VATS and thoracotomy for resection of lung cancer. We performed a systematic review of six databases. The Downs and Black tool was used to assess the risk of bias. Five studies were included. In general, patients undergoing VATS have a better HRQOL when compared to thoracotomy; however, there was a high risk of bias in the included studies. The consistent use of a lung cancer specific questionnaire for measuring HRQOL after surgery is encouraged.

Diagnosing Lung Cancers through Examination of Micro-RNA Biomarkers in Blood, Plasma, Serum and Sputum: A Review and Summary of Current Literature

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer related morbidity and mortality worldwide. Currently, the vast majority of lung cancers are diagnosed at a late stage, when patients become symptomatic leading to dismal, less than 15% five-year survival rates. Evidence has demonstrated that screening computed tomography scans can be used to detect lung cancer, but these scans have high false positive rates. Therefore, there is a continued need for the development of minimally-invasive methods to screen the high risk population and diagnose lung cancer at an earlier, curable stage. One such promising area is the use micro-RNAs. These are short, non-coding RNA molecules that have been shown in previous research to be dysregulated in cancers. This review will focus on the potential use of miRNA levels in various biological fluids (whole blood, plasma, serum, and sputum) and demonstrate their potential utility as screening and diagnostic biomarkers for lung cancer. Current research will be analyzed and compared, and future directions in establishing the use of miRNAs for detecting lung cancer will be discussed.

MicroRNA expression profiling of sputum for the detection of early and locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: a prospective case–control study

BACKGROUND Non-small-cell lung cancer (nsclc) is associated with very poor overall survival because 70% of patients present with locally advanced or metastatic disease at the time of diagnosis. Micrornas (mirnas) are a class of short, noncoding rna molecules whose presence in samples of biologic fluids such as sputum has demonstrated promise as a potential means of detecting nsclc. We investigated the stage-specific nsclc detection potential of an efficient panel of 3 mirnas (mir-21, mir-210, mir-372) using a single sputum sample. METHODS A single spontaneously expectorated sputum sample was prospectively collected from 21 early nsclc (≤stage ii) patients, 22 advanced nsclc (≥stage iii) patients, and 10 control subjects. Mirna expression profiles were determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and were analyzed by unsupervised hierarchical cluster analysis. RESULTS Mean tumour size (±95% confidence interval) in the early and advanced nsclc patients was 3.3 cm ± 0.9 cm and 4.8 cm ± 0.7 cm respectively. Adenocarcinoma constituted 61.9% of the early and 45.5% of the advanced nsclc cases respectively. In comparing the early nsclc group with the control group, the mirna panel yielded a diagnostic sensitivity of 67% and a specificity of 90.0%. For the advanced nsclc group, the mirna panel detected nsclc with a sensitivity and specificity of 64% and 100% respectively. CONCLUSIONS A sputum mir-21, mir-210, and mir-372 expression profile might provide a sensitive and highly specific means for detecting nsclc. Sputum mirna analysis demonstrates promise as a potential complementary screening tool.

Spindle cell lipoma of the esophagus

Esophageal lipomas are benign tumors representing less than 0.5% of all gastrointestinal lipomas. They are typically detected incidentally but occasionally present with local symptoms and rarely with life-threatening complications. We describe a case of a 60-year-old man with progressive dysphagia and weight loss, who presented with several episodes of near asphyxiation secondary to regurgitation and aspiration of the pedunculated mass. Preoperative investigations included a barium meal, esophagoscopy and computerized tomography. The pedunculated lipoma was excised via a cervical approach and found, at final pathology, to be a spindle cell lipoma, a rare variant not previously described in relation to the esophagus.

Managing a solitary fibrous tumour of the diaphragm from above and below

Solitary fibrous tumours are rare spindle-cell neoplasms that usually arise from visceral and parietal pleura and peritoneum and are likely of either mesothelial cell origin or fibroblast/primitive mesenchymal cell origin. They are typically found in the chest and occasionally the abdominal cavity but have been reported in the parotid gland, pericardium, ovary, liver, intestine, lung, orbit, upper respiratory tract, bladder and periosteum. Solitary fibrous tumours involving the diaphragm arising from overlying pleura or underlying peritoneum have been occasionally described but never with such intimate involvement. A 32-year-old female smoker presented with clinical features typical for gallstones. An ultrasound of her biliary system confirmed cholelithiasis but also noted a large heterogeneous solid hypoechoic mass medial to the spleen in the left upper quadrant. Beyond issues with symptoms related to gallstones, she denied any other problems including breathlessness, atypical chest pain or referred pain. She had no night sweats or weight loss, and clinical examination was unremarkable. A chest computerized tomography (CT) demonstrated a large mass in intimate contact with the left hemidiaphragm (Fig. 1a,b). Following standard general anaesthesia and single lung ventilation, a left video-assisted thoracoscopic assessment showed the mass appearing to be within the diaphragm or pushing up from the abdomen. A laparoscopy was performed, which confirmed the mass was within the diaphragm itself (Fig. 2) and completely separate form underlying abdominal viscera. Following left thoracotomy, a full thickness excision of the hemidiaphragm with the tumour contained within its leaves was completed. The hemidiaphragm was reconstructed using Gore-Tex (Flagstaff, AZ, USA). The patient went on to make an uneventful recovery, and following discharge at one-year follow-up, was fully recovered with a chest CT showing no evidence of recurrence. Tumour inspection found grossly normal diaphragmatic tissue covering both sides of the specimen. Immunoperoxidase stains demonstrated strong diffuse cytoplasmic positivity for CD34 as well as vimentin, Bcl-2 and S100, but a lack of strong cytokeratin positivity. The morphologic and immunophenotypic features were those of a solitary fibrous tumour.

Smoking Cessation Counseling by Surgical and Nonsurgical Residents: Opportunities for Health Promotion Education

BACKGROUND Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in North America and a major contributor to surgically treated diseases and operative complications. Counseling by residents can be an effective means of helping patients to quit smoking, and with the introduction of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and CanMEDS competency frameworks, health promotion is a required component of residency training. However, past studies have found that smoking cessation counseling by residents, and in particular surgical residents, is lacking. In light of the introduction of health promotion as a core competency in residency training, this study was designed to examine the attitudes and practices of residents at our institution regarding smoking cessation counseling, comparing surgical and nonsurgical residents and seeking to identify barriers to resident counseling. METHODS An internet-based questionnaire was distributed to all residents at the University of Alberta in the fall of 2012. Items examined residents׳ attitudes and practices related to smoking cessation counseling and barriers to counseling. RESULTS Although almost all residents believed that smoking cessation was important and that counseling was part of their job as a resident, far fewer routinely practiced the counseling behaviors examined. Surgical residents were less likely to perform counseling and more likely to think that counseling was not part of their job. Surgical residents were also more likely to identify obstacles to counseling such as a lack of time and formal training. DISCUSSION Residents, and surgical residents in particular, are missing opportunities to help their patients quit smoking and improve their health. Given their positive attitudes toward counseling, it may be possible to improve their counseling practices through simple means. By identifying obstacles to counseling and tools that may increase residents׳ tendency to perform counseling, this study can help to guide training programs aimed at improving resident competency in health promotion.

Esophageal perforation after radiofrequency ablation for atrial fibrillation.

A 69-year-old man underwent left atrial radiofrequency ablation for atrial fibrillation. After 10 minutes, the procedure was terminated due to pericardial tamponade secondary to perforation during mapping. Pericardiocentesis resolved the tamponade. Ablation was completed one week later, and the patient was discharged. Two days later, he presented with odynophagia. Computed tomography demonstrated small bilateral pleural effusions. He was judged to be stable and was discharged again, but returned 2 days later with chest pain. He was found to have esophageal perforation with empyema, which was repaired using a muscle patch and esophageal stenting, successfully treating the lesion with minimal morbidity.