[Surgical treatment of lung sequestration].

BACKGROUND/AIM: Pulmonary sequestration is a congenital malformation which consists of afunctional part of the lung, separated of the normal airway, and vascularisated with anomal systemic artery instead of pulmonary artery. There are two kinds of sequestration. Intralobar is surrounded with normal lung and its pleura, and extralobar which has extrapulmonary position and pleura of its own. This anomaly is very rare and appears in 1.1-1.8% of all congenital lung malformations. The illness is revealed either in early childhood whith other life-threatening anomalies or in adulthood and middle age when secondary infection arises. The aim of this paper was to show our own experience in surgical treatment of pulmonary sequestration and to emphasize sequestration as a real differential-diagnostic possibility with patients with recidive bronchopneumonias. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed medical records for the period from 1967-2007 and found 15 patients with pulmonary sequestration at the average age of 30 years. We pointed out the well known problems with identification of this anomaly, preoperative diagnostic procedures and surgical possibilities of treatment. RESULTS: There were 13 patients with intralobar and two patients with extralobar sequestration. By the use of preoperative angiography, seven patients were found to have intralobar pulmonary sequestration. All intralobar sequestrations were clinically manifested, the most often with recidive bronchopneumonia. Six patients had no preoperative diagnosis of lung sequestration. The most common locality of intralobar sequestration was the left lower lobe (eight patients). We performed nine lobectomies, three sequestrectomies, two segmentectomies and one pneumonectomy. Both extralobar sequestrations were diagnosed intraoperatively. CONCLUSION: Pulmonary sequestration is a rare malformation. Diagnosis is established by angiography. Treatment is exclusively surgical. In the last three years we have had one patient per year. This experience obliges to consider pulmonary sequestration as a real differn tial diagnostic possibility in patients with localised repeated bronchopneumonias.

[Thoracic surgery in solving enormous elevation of the left hemidiaphragm].

BACKGROUND: Acquired elevation of the diaphragm is mostly the result of phrenic nerve paralysis, some of thoracic and abdominal patological states, and also some of neuromuscular diseases. Surgical treatment is rarely performed and is indicated when lung compression produces disabilitating dyspnea, and includes plication of diaphragm. The goal of this case report has been to show completely documented diagnostic procedures and surgical treatment one of rare pathological condition. CASE REPORT: A 62-year-old patient was admitted to our clinic because of surgical treatment of the enormous elevation of the left hemidiaphragm. After thoracotomy and plication of the bulging diaphragm, lung compression did not exist any more and mediastinum went back in the normal position. CONCLUSION: Elevation of the diaphragm rarely demands surgical correction. When it is complicated with lung compression and disabilitating dyspnea, surgical treatment has extremely useful functional effect.

[Surgical treatment of war posttraumatic pleural empyemas].

BACKGROUND/AIM: Posttraumatic pleural empyema is the most frequent septic complication of the thoracic penetrating war injuries. Surgical treatment used to be based on the experience gained in the treatment of parapneumonic empyema, the most frequent empyema, and used to be favored the pleural drainage until the nineties of the last century. Thoracotomy and decortication was performed in case of drainage failure, in early chronic phase, 4-6 weeks after injury. The aim of this study was to emphasize the necessity of different surgical approaches in the treatment of this disease which is based on the different pathophisyology of posttraumatic and other sorts of empyema. Also, to recommend on the basis of the surgical treatment results, early decortication as better method in the treatment of this septic complication. METHODS: In the period between September 1991-June 1999. 1 303 thoracic injures were surgically treated. There were 1 117 penetrating injures with 675 dominant thoracic injures, and 442 thoracic injures as the following ones. In 59 (5.3%) injured people raised post traumatic empyema (PET). The patients were divided into the groups with early and late decortications regarding the interval between the injury and the surgical treatment. Almost all the patients sustained this complication in various periods before the admittance to the hospital. Surgical treatment efficiency of early and late decortication was analyzed on the basis of perioperative and postoperative study parameters and analysing postoperative complications. RESULTS: Thoracotomy and decortication were performed in 46 (78%) injured patients with post traumatica pleural empyema while only 13 (22%) injured patientes were successfully treated for this septic complication with drainage procedures. This study proved that there were in the group with early decortications lesser intra and postoperative blood loss, duration of operation was shorter as well as febrile postoperative period. In this group, also, hospitalisation was shorter and with lesser complications. CONCLUSION: The obtained results showed that thoracotomy and decortication should be done as early as possible in patients, not later than two weeks after the injury.

[Descending necrotizing mediastinitis].

BACKGROUND: [corrected] Descending necrotizing mediastinitis (DNM) is an acute, serious, septic disease which results from a complication of oropharyngeal infection. The disease requires a prompt diagnosis and radical surgical treatment to reduce high mortality (40%). The optimal form of mediastinal drainage remains conroversial. The reason for publishing this report is both the fact that DNM is very rare and our experience prefering thoracotomy as an optimal approach to treating the disease. CASE REPORT: We reported a 34-years-old woman with DNM. The disease began as a peritonsillar abscess. After a bilateral double pleural drainage the disease worsened. In order to achieve radical mediastinal debridement and drainage, we carried out posterolateral right thoracotomy. We also had to perform left thoracotomy bacause of massive bleeding coused by septic erosion. There were no more reoperations. CONCLUSION: Aggressive surgical treatment, regardless the localization and the extent of changes is the key to success in the treatment of patients with necrotizing mediastinitis.

[Stenosis of the right major bronchus from blunt trauma].

BACKGROUND: A severe blunt injury to the chest might cause rupture of the tracheobronchial tree. A certain time following the management of the injury, stenosis of the bronchi may develop at the site of the rupture. CASE REPORT: We reported a patient injured in a traffic accident. The injury was followed by the signs of pneumothorax, bleeding, and respiratory insufficiency. After the management of the injury using thoracal drainage, the condition of the injured was stabilized. Two weeks later, however, difficulties in breathing and fatigue occurred. Circular stenosis of the right major bronchus was clinically, radiographically and bronchoscopically confirmed. Right thoracotomy and circular resection of the major bronchus with termino-terminal anastomosis were performed. CONCLUSION: In severe blunt injuries to the chest, it is very important to suspect the injury of the tracheobronchial tree in order to correctly understand the clinical signs of an injury and to interprete a radiographic image of it, so as to decide upon the optimal treatment on time.