ABSTRACT
Objectives The objective of this study was to analyze the clinical respiratory and spirometric effects of video-assisted minithoracotomy diaphragmatic plication (VAM-T DP) in the treatment of diaphragmatic eventration. Methods A retrospective longitudinal study of 18 patients who underwent a VAM-T DP in our service between February 2005 and July 2011 was performed. Data of patient characteristics, preoperative clinical variables, and postoperative results (3, 6, and 12 months) were collected for statistical analysis using the software package SPSS 13.0 for Windows (Wilcoxon test, Friedman test, and Z-test). Results The main clinical respiratory and spirometric variables improved significantly and remained stable over 1 year. Conclusions VAM-T DP is a viable and safe procedure that improves the spirometry values and offers stable results during the first year. To our knowledge, the present series is the second largest published report in English relating to this procedure in adults.
Subject(s)
Diaphragm/surgery , Diaphragmatic Eventration/surgery , Respiration Disorders/surgery , Respiration , Respiratory Paralysis/surgery , Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted/methods , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Diaphragm/abnormalities , Diaphragm/diagnostic imaging , Diaphragm/innervation , Diaphragmatic Eventration/diagnostic imaging , Diaphragmatic Eventration/physiopathology , Female , Humans , Longitudinal Studies , Male , Middle Aged , Recovery of Function , Respiration Disorders/diagnostic imaging , Respiration Disorders/physiopathology , Respiratory Paralysis/diagnostic imaging , Respiratory Paralysis/physiopathology , Retrospective Studies , Spain , Spirometry , Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted/adverse effects , Time Factors , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Amyloidosis is a systemic disease caused by extracellular accumulation of amyloid in different parts of the body. Pulmonary involvement is infrequent and nodular amyloidosis is extremely rare. We present the case of a 72-year-old man with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in whom a 3-cm pulmonary nodule was discovered during routine radiological follow-up. After various complementary investigations failed to identify the etiology of the nodule, surgical excision was performed. Subsequent histopathological study revealed the presence of amyloid deposits with characteristic apple-green birefringence when stained with Congo-red under polarized light microscopy.
