[Pneumothorax]. / Pneumothorax.

The presence of air between the visceral pleura and the parietal pleura with consecutive retraction of the lung from the chest wall is called pneumothorax. Regarding the genesis of the pneumothorax, a distinction is drawn between spontaneous and traumatic pneumothorax. The spontaneous pneumothorax is, depending on whether a congenital or an acquired pulmonary disease can be found, grouped into a primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) without underlying lung disease and a secondary spontaneous pneumothorax (SSP) with the presence of a known lung disease. The traumatic pneumothorax is classified, depending on the cause, into penetrating and non-penetrating (blunt) traumatic events. A special form of the traumatic pneumothorax is the iatrogenic pneumothorax occurring as a result of diagnostic and/or therapeutic interventions. Clinically, a pneumothorax can range from an asymptomatic to an acute life-threatening situation. The required initial measures depend primarily on the patient's clinical condition. They vary from immediate insertion of a chest tube to wait and see with monitoring. The insertion of a chest tube is still the accepted therapeutic standard, but other procedures like aspiration of air through a needle or small catheter, particularly for small spontaneous pneumothoraces, represent alternative therapy options as well. The short-term goal is to treat possibly existing dyspnea and pain; in the long run a recurrence of the pneumothorax should be prevented. Until now, no uniform treatment algorithms or standardised therapy principles exist to achieve the therapeutic intentions of lung expansion and freedom from pain and late relapse.

[Thymectomy in myasthenia and/or thymoma]. / Thymektomie bei Myasthenie und/oder Thymom.

Thymectomy, the surgical removal of the thymic gland, is essential in cases of thymoma. The majority of cases of a myasthenia gravis (MG) represent a relative indication for thymectomy which requires cooperation with specialized neurologists. Patients with MG may present with a tumor of the thymic gland. In case of suspicious thymoma, the resectability of the tumor has to be evaluated in the preoperative diagnostic. The clinical condition of patients with MG has to be stabilized preoperatively. The aim of thymectomy is the radical removal of thymoma and/or maximal improvement of MG symptoms. This requires the complete extirpation of the thymic gland including all ectopic thymic tissue in the anterior mediastinum. There is a variety of surgical techniques for performing a complete thymectomy. In addition to the conventional techniques with sternotomy, the significance of minimally-invasive approaches is increasing rapidly. Despite the ongoing scarcity of data of higher evidence concerning the procedure of thymectomy an increasing number of equivalent results with minimally-invasive operation techniques for MG and for thymoma are available. The successful surgical performance of a thymectomy is part of an interdisciplinary cooperation in the perioperative treatment of MG as well as the postoperative long-term care for patients with MG and/or thymoma.

[Application of the da Vinci robotic system in thoracic surgery]. / Anwendung des daVinci-Robotersystems in der Thoraxchirurgie.

INTRODUCTION: The latest technical developments of minimally invasive thoracic surgery are characterized by robotic-assisted operative procedures. Robotic-assisted thymectomy is the most advanced method in this field. METHODS: A systematic literature search (PubMed, Medline) was carried out and the databank system of Intuitive Surgical (Sunnyvale, CA) was analysed. Target criteria were the analysis of the quantitative data over time, technical advantages and limiting factors of robotic-assisted thoracic surgery. RESULTS: The da Vinci robotic system has been used in thoracic surgery since 2001, and up to 2012 a total of 10,895 robotic-assisted lobotomies have been carried out worldwide. A total of 12 ectopic parathyroid glands in the mediastinum were resected and published. Furthermore, more than 3,500 cases of robotic-assisted thymectomy were performed. A rapid increase in the number of operations has occurred particularly for thymectomy and lung resections. DISCUSSION: Acceptance of robotic-assisted thymectomy for myasthenia and/or thymoma and mediastinal tumors is growing rapidly. For anatomic lung resection in lung cancer, robotic-assisted hilar and lymph node dissection due to this new quality are also comparable to open surgical techniques. The principles form the intrinsic technical advantages of the da Vinci robotic system.

Resection of ectopic mediastinal parathyroid glands with the da Vinci robotic system.

BACKGROUND: Mediastinal ectopic parathyroid adenoma is a frequent cause of persistent or recurrent hyperparathyroidism, traditionally treated by open surgery. Thoracoscopic access is associated with reduced morbidity in mediastinal surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of robot-assisted dissection for mediastinal ectopic parathyroid glands. METHODS: Two patients with recurrent secondary hyperparathyroidism and three with complicated primary hyperparathyroidism were operated on between July 2004 and August 2008 for ectopic mediastinal parathyroid glands. Fusion of single-photon emission computed tomography and computed tomography led to an exact identification of the culprit glands. Surgery was performed thoracoscopically with the da Vinci robotic system using a three-trocar approach. RESULTS: All procedures were completed successfully with the robotic system. No perioperative morbidity or mortality was noted. Median operating time was 58 (range 42-125) min. Intraoperative parathyroid hormone reduction indicated complete resection. Median hospital stay was 3 (range 2-4) days. CONCLUSION: Robot-assisted dissection is a promising approach for resection of ectopic parathyroid glands in remote narrow anatomical locations such as the mediastinum.

[Minimally invasive thymus surgery]. / Minimal-invasive Chirurgie des Thymus.

There are absolute and relative indications for complete removal of the thymus gland. In the complex therapy of autoimmune-related myasthenia gravis, thymectomy plays a central role and is performed with relative indication. In case of thymoma with or without myasthenia, thymectomy is absolutely indicated. Thymus resection is further necessary for cases of hyperparathyroidism with ectopic intrathymic parathyroids or with certain forms of multiple endocrine neoplasia. The transcervical operation technique traditionally reflected the well-founded desire for minimal invasiveness for thymectomy. Due to the requirement of radicality however, most of these operations were performed using sternotomy. With the evolution of therapeutic thoracoscopy in thoracic surgery, several pure or extended minimally invasive operation techniques for thymectomy have been developed. At present uni- or bilateral, subxiphoid, and modified transcervical single or combination thoracoscopic techniques are in use. Recently a very precise new level of thoracoscopic operation technique was developed using robotic-assisted surgery. There are special advantages of this technique for thymectomy. An overview of the development and experiences with minimally invasive thymectomy is presented, including data from the largest series published so far.