ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Lung-sparing procedures, specifically segmentectomies and wedge resections, have increased over the years to treat early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We investigate here the perioperative and long-term outcomes of patients who underwent robotic-assisted segmentectomy (RAS) at an NCI-designated cancer center and aim to show associations between the preoperative standard update value (SUV) to tumor stage, recurrence patterns, and overall survival. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on 166 consecutive patients who underwent RAS at a single institution from 2010 to 2021. Of this number, 121 robotic-assisted segmentectomies were performed for primary NSCLC, and a total of 101 patients were evaluated with a PET-CT scan. The SUV from the primary tumor was determined from the PET-CT. The clinical, surgical, and pathologic profiles and perioperative outcomes were summarized via descriptive statistics. Numerical variables were described as the median and interquartile range because all numerical variables were not normally distributed as assessed by the Shapiro-Wilk test of normality. Categorical variables were described as the count and proportion. Chi-square or Fisher's exact test was used for association. The main outcomes were overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS). Kaplan-Meier (KM) curves were constructed to visualize the OS and RFS, which were also stratified according to tumor histology, the pathologic stage, and standard uptake value. A log-rank test for the equality of survival curves was performed to determine significant differences between groups. RESULTS: The most common postoperative complications were atrial fibrillation (8.8%, 9/102), persistent air leak (7.84%, 8/102), and pneumonia (4.9%, 5/102). The median operative duration was 168.5 min (IQR 59), while the median estimated blood loss was 50 mL (IQR 125). The conversion rate to thoracotomy in this cohort was 3.9% (4/102). Intraoperative complications occurred in 2.9% (3/102). The median hospital length of stay was 3 days (IQR 3). The median chest tube duration was 3 days (IQR 2), but 4.9% (5/102) of patients were sent home with a chest tube. The recurrence for this cohort was 28.4% (29/102). The time to recurrence was 353 days (IQR 504), while the time to mortality was 505 days (IQR 761). The NSCLC patients were divided into the following two groups: low SUV (<5, n = 55) and high SUV (≥5, n = 47). Statistically significant associations were noted between SUV and the tumor histology (p = 0.019), tumor grade (p = 0.002), lymph-vascular invasion (p = 0.029), viscera-pleural invasion (p = 0.008), recurrence (p < 0.001) and the site of recurrence (p = 0.047). KM survival analysis showed significant differences in the curves for OS (log-rank p-value 0.0204) and RFS (log-rank p-value 0.0034) between the SUV groups. CONCLUSION: Robotic-assisted segmentectomy for NSCLC has reasonable perioperative and oncologic outcomes. Furthermore, we demonstrate here the prognostic implication of preoperative SUV to pathologic outcomes, recurrence-free survival, and overall survival.
ABSTRACT
Chylopericardium is a rare condition that is characterized by the presence of chyle in the pericardial space due to idiopathic (primary) or secondary causes. We present a 43-year-old female with hypothyroidism and left lower extremity sarcoma which were treated with resection and adjuvant chemoradiotherapy that was found with moderate pericardial effusion in surveillance tests. The patient was initially treated with tube thoracostomy and conservative management but presented with recurrence. Eventually, she was treated with left thoracotomy, ligation of the thoracic duct and pericardiectomy.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Hybrid operative thrombectomy (HOT) is a novel technique for the treatment of acute iliofemoral deep venous thrombosis (IFDVT) and is an alternative to percutaneous techniques (PTs) that use thrombolytics. In this study, we compare perioperative and intermediate outcomes of HOT vs PT as interventions for early thrombus removal. METHODS: From July 2008 to May 2015, there were 71 consecutive patients who were treated with either PT (n = 31) or HOT (n = 40) for acute or subacute single-limb IFDVT. HOT consisted of surgical thrombectomy with balloon angioplasty with or without stenting by a single incision and fluoroscopically guided retrograde valve manipulation to extract the thrombus. PT included catheter-directed thrombolysis with or without pharmacomechanical thrombectomy using the Trellis-8 system (Bacchus Vascular, Santa Clara, Calif). Patients who presented with bilateral DVT (n = 4), inferior vena cava involvement (n = 8), or venous gangrene (n = 1) were excluded. Perioperative outcomes, quality measures, and thrombus resolution were compared between the two treatment groups. Clinical, Etiology, Anatomy, and Pathophysiology (CEAP) classification, Villalta score, and venous duplex ultrasound at intermediate follow-up were also analyzed. RESULTS: The left limb was the most common site of the IFDVT overall. Technical success (≥50% resolution) was 100% for both groups, and >80% resolution was achieved in all patients treated with HOT. There were eight major bleeding events in the PT group compared with three in the HOT group (P = .04). PT patients had a significantly longer length of stay (13 vs 10 days; P = .028) compared with HOT. At 2-year duplex ultrasound examination, there was no difference between HOT and PT in mean reflux times at the femoral-popliteal segment. At 2 years, 85% and 87% of the patients (HOT vs PT, respectively) had not developed post-thrombotic syndrome, and there was no difference between the groups for mean Villalta score (2.1 ± 1.9 vs 2.3 ± 2; P = .79). CONCLUSIONS: PT and HOT have demonstrated good outcomes in the perioperative and intermediate periods. HOT is noninferior to PT as a technique for early thrombus removal and has the advantages that thrombus resolution is established in one operation and length of stay is significantly decreased. HOT avoids thrombolytic therapy, which may reduce major bleeding events.
