The preoperative assessment of thoracic wall adhesions using four-dimensional computed tomography.

OBJECTIVE: Pleural adhesions are challenging during lung cancer surgery and may be associated with a long surgery time and excessive blood loss due to pleural adhesiolysis. We used preoperative four-dimensional computed tomography to quantitatively assess parietal pleural adhesions and determine its diagnostic accuracy. METHODS: A total of 216 patients with lung cancer underwent four-dimensional computed tomography during the study period. Pleural adhesions were subsequently confirmed by surgery in 85 of these patients, whereas 126 patients had no adhesions. The movements of the tumor or target vessels (α) was tracked. Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis was used to identify the relationship between adhesions and (α). RESULTS: The movement of (α) was smaller in patients with adhesions than in those without adhesions. The greater the adhesion, the shorter the movement distance (p < 0.001). Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis demonstrated an area under the curve for the moving (α) point at 0.71 (95% confidence interval: 0.62-0.80) in the upper lung field and at 0.75 (95% confidence interval: 0.64-0.85) in the lower field. To identify adhesions, a cut off of 11.3 mm (sensitivity = 43.6%, specificity = 93.2%) in the upper lung field and a cut off of 41.2 mm (sensitivity = 71.4%, specificity = 66.0%) in the lower lung field were established. CONCLUSIONS: Four-dimensional computed tomography is a novel and helpful modality for predicting the presence of parietal pleural adhesions. To obtain robust evidence, further accumulation of cases and re-examination of the analysis methods are needed.

Autofluorescence imaging-assisted medical thoracoscopy in the diagnosis of malignant pleural disease.

BACKGROUND: Medical thoracoscopy (MT) does not always provide a conclusive diagnosis of pleural diseases because the endoscopic appearance of pleural diseases can be misleading. Autofluorescence imaging (AFI) is an effective assistive diagnostic tool. However, its clinical application for pleural disease remains controversial. OBJECTIVES: This prospective study evaluated the clinical usefulness of AFI-assisted MT for diagnosis of malignant pleural diseases. METHODS: Patients with unexplained pleural effusion admitted to our clinics between December 2018 and September 2021 were enrolled. We performed white-light thoracoscopy (WLT) first, and then AFI, during MT. Images of endoscopic real-time lesions were recorded under both modes. Pleural biopsy specimens were analyzed pathologically. Between-groups differences in diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, positive-predictive value (PPV), and negative-predictive value (NPV) were assessed using 95% confidence intervals (CI). Receiver operating characteristic curves and decision curve analyses were employed to analyze the diagnostic efficiency of these two modes. RESULTS: Of 126 eligible patients, 73 cases were diagnosed with malignant pleural disease. A total of 1292 biopsy specimens from 492 pleural sites were examined for pathological changes. The diagnostic sensitivity, PPV, and NPV of AFI were 99.7%, 58.2%, and 99.2%, respectively. AFI was significantly superior to WLT, which had a sensitivity of 79.7%, PPV of 50.7%, and NPV of 62.8%. Subgroup analysis showed that the AFI type III pattern was significantly more specific for pleural malignant disease than that of WLT. CONCLUSIONS: AFI could further improve the diagnostic efficacy of MT by providing better visualization, convenience, and safety.

Diagnosis of malignant pleural disease: Ultrasound as "a detective probe".

BACKGROUND: Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an invasive, aggressive pleural tumor with a predominantly local spread. The objective of this study was to assess thoracic ultrasound (TUS) as an imaging modality with high sensitivity for the identification of malignant pleural involvement and in order to guide pleural biopsies. METHODS: In this retrospective single-center study between January 2018 and June 2022, 51 consecutive patients with impassable circumferential pleural thickening underwent TUS at the Thoracic Surgery Unit of the Vanvitelli University of Naples. Pleural biopsies were performed, and then large and multiple samples were sent to the pathological anatomy for histological examination. RESULTS: In all patients who underwent ultrasound examination, we chose the optimal point of entry to perform pleural biopsies and selected the areas of greater thickening without pleural effusion. No patient had any complications. No drainage tubes were placed after the pleural biopsies and no pneumothorax was present during the following days of hospitalization. The patients were discharged on the second postoperative day. CONCLUSION: With TUS the precise pleural thickening localization, local infiltration, mass extent, its nature (solid, cystic or complex) and ultrasound features can be easily defined. Furthermore, ultrasound is more economical than computed tomography and avoids the risks associated with radiation. Thoracic ultrasound is an important component of the diagnostic procedure in detecting a safe entry site for biopsies of MPMs.

Imaging Approach to Disease of the Pleura.

Diseases of pleura are not only common but also have a significant impact on patients' outcomes. While early detection and treatment are imperative in reducing this burden, many pleural entities present similarly, thus posing a diagnostic dilemma for radiologists requiring critical further workup. While chest radiography, CT, and image-guided thoracentesis are primarily utilized as the initial imaging techniques for the workup of pleural diseases, MRI, and FDG-PET/CT are also frequently employed to investigate the root cause of pleural abnormalities. By elucidating the common imaging features of neoplastic, inflammatory, and infectious pleural pathologies, clinicians can quickly and easily differentiate the various pleural diseases, rapidly reach the correct diagnosis, and ultimately improve patient outcomes.

[Idiopathic pleuroparenehymal fibroelastosis: five case reports and review of literature].

Objective: To raise the awareness of idiopathic pleuroparenehymal fibroelastosis (iPPFE) through investigating the clinical, radiographic and pathological features. Methods: Five cases of iPPFE proved by pathology. The clinical data were studied respectively, and the relevant literature was reviewed. Results: All the cases of iPPFE were manifested by cough and dyspnea. The patients including 3 males and 2 females, aged from 30 to 70 years Chest CT scan showed pleural thickening, subpleural consolidation in both upper lungs complicated with tractive bronchiectasis.Computed tomography-guided percutaneous lung biopsy or surgical lung were performed and the same pathological showed pleura and subpleural dense elastic and collagen fibers. The elastic fibers stain was also positive,which was consistent with PPFE. One patient received low-dose corticosteroid, two received pirfenidone therapy, the others received no treatment. Three patients were stable during the follow-up. Conclusions: iPPFE has characteristic pathological features. However, the number of clinically reported cases is low due to missed diagnosis or misdiagnosed. Improving the understanding of features of iPPFE is helpful for the dianosis, therapy, and prognosis of this disease.

Pleuropulmonary pathologies in the early phase of acute pancreatitis correlate with disease severity.

BACKGROUND: Respiratory failure worsens the outcome of acute pancreatitis (AP) and underlying factors might be early detectable. AIMS: To evaluate the prevalence and prognostic relevance of early pleuropulmonary pathologies and pre-existing chronic lung diseases (CLD) in AP patients. METHODS: Multicentre retrospective cohort study. Caudal sections of the thorax derived from abdominal contrast enhanced computed tomography (CECT) performed in the early phase of AP were assessed. Independent predictors of severe AP were identified by binary logistic regression analysis. A one-year survival analysis using Kaplan-Meier curves and log rank test was performed. RESULTS: 358 patients were analysed, finding pleuropulmonary pathologies in 81%. CECTs were performed with a median of 2 days (IQR 1-3) after admission. Multivariable analysis identified moderate to severe or bilateral pleural effusions (PEs) (OR = 4.16, 95%CI 2.05-8.45, p<0.001) and pre-existing CLD (OR = 2.93, 95%CI 1.17-7.32, p = 0.022) as independent predictors of severe AP. Log rank test showed a significantly worse one-year survival in patients with bilateral compared to unilateral PEs in a subgroup. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing awareness of the prognostic impact of large and bilateral PEs and pre-existing CLD could facilitate the identification of patients at high risk for severe AP in the early phase and thus improve their prognosis.

New treatment of bronchopleural fistula following surgical resection of the dorsal segment of the left lower lobe: A case report.

Anatomical segment-based or subsegmental resection for early lung cancer surgery has been used in selected cases, although postoperative complications of bronchopleural fistula sometimes occur. Persistent air leaks can cause complications such as empyema and aspiration pneumonia, resulting in prolonged patient hospitalization. The traditional treatment for postoperative bronchopleural fistula is reoperation, but the advent of bronchoscopic interventional therapy usually prevents patients from needing a second operation. This article details a case of thoracoscopic segmentectomy of the left lower lung dorsal segment resulting in residual subsegmental pleural fistula, and because the use of pleural adhesives made the patient's fistula inappropriate for surgical repair, we finally used bronchoscopic injury of the airway mucosa combined with an absorbable gelatin sponge and an autologous blood closure method for successful treatment.

Utility of medical thoracoscopy in diagnosis and treatment of hemothorax due to carcinoma: A case report.

Hemothorax cannot always be treated by thoracic surgeon. Rapidly improved interventional pulmonology broadens the application of medical thoracoscopy. We attempt to share our experiences of medical thoracoscopy for hemothorax and discuss the value of medical thoracoscopy in pleural diseases. We reported a 76-year-old male with hemothorax who was cured by medical thoracoscopy under local anesthesia together with argon plasma coagulation. Moreover, final pathological diagnosis was acquired as pleural sarcomatoid carcinoma. The unusual manifestation under medical thoracoscopy of such a relative rare disease was also described in this paper. The medical thoracoscopy could be used successfully for hemothorax instead of treating with surgeon, especially for those who cannot tolerate procedure of operation or surgical thoracoscopy.

Convex probe endobronchial ultrasound guided transbronchial/transoesophageal fine needle aspiration (C-EBUS-TBNA/EUS-B FNA) of pleural lesions: A single center experience and review of literature.

The evaluation of pleural diseases has been well established. If pleurocentensis is non-diagnostic, the second investigation depending upon availability could be either closed pleural biopsy or image guided pleural biopsy or thoracoscopic pleural biopsy (medical or surgical). Pleural disease presenting as thickness/mass/nodule in the mediastinum is difficult to access through ultrasound or computed tomography and will need thoracoscopy. Thoracoscopy is an invasive procedure which can be difficult to perform in localized mediastinal pleural disease without effusion or poor health condition not suitable for general anesthesia. An alternative method that can be utilized is sampling of pleural lesion through convex probe endobronchial ultrasound (CEBUS) either through the central large airways or from esophagus if the lesions are in proximity. We present our center's experience in diagnosing pleural lesion using C-EBUS in 4 patients along with review of the literature.

Secondary renal amyloidosis associated with asbestos-related pleuropulmonary diseases.

Here, we present a 67-year-old Japanese man who developed insidious-onset nephrotic syndrome. He had a history of occupational asbestos exposure for about 8 years during his 30s, and was found to have pleural effusion 3 years before his present illness. At that time, repeated cytology testing of his pleural effusion found no malignant cells, and pleural biopsy found fibrous pleuritis without evidence of malignant mesothelioma. Percutaneous kidney biopsy found massive deposits of AA-type amyloid in the glomeruli, small arteries, and medulla. Computed tomography showed a calcified mass in the right lower lung that was positive for 67Ga uptake, but transbronchial lung biopsy and bronchoalveolar lavage found no evidence of malignancy. He was diagnosed with rounded atelectasis and diffuse pleural thickening. As these benign asbestos-related diseases have no standard treatment, we administered low-dose angiotensin II receptor blocker to preserve kidney function. Unfortunately, his nephrotic syndrome persists, with progressive chronic kidney failure. Kidney involvement in patients with asbestos-related disease is rare. To our knowledge, this is the first case to present with secondary amyloidosis. Kidney biopsy should be considered for patients with existing asbestos-related pleuropulmonary diseases who have urinary abnormalities or renal dysfunction, to clarify the incidence and pathophysiology of renal manifestations.

Pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: PPFE is characterized by fibrosis in the pleura and subpleural lung parenchyma in the upper lobes, while other types of ILD, mainly UIP, can be observed in about half of the patients in their lower lobes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical significance of the radiologically defined PPFE in patients with IPF. METHODS: Clinical data and chest CT images were retrospectively analysed in 445 patients with IPF (biopsy-proven cases, n = 165). The radiological criteria of PPFE were defined as follows: (i) bilateral subpleural dense fibrosis with or without pleural thickening in the upper lobes, (ii) evidence of disease progression and (iii) no clinical evidence of identifiable aetiologies. RESULTS: The median follow-up period was 43.0 months. The mean age of the patients was 66.4 years and 76.4% were male. PPFE was identified in 28 patients (6.3%). The PPFE group showed lower BMI and lung function (FVC and TLC) at baseline, more frequent pneumothorax and pneumomediastinum, higher decline rates in lung function and poorer prognosis during follow-up than the no-PPFE group. PPFE was an independent risk factor (HR = 2.953, 95% CI: 1.350-6.460, P = 0.007) for pneumothorax or pneumomediastinum, but not for mortality in patients with IPF. CONCLUSION: Among patients with IPF, the PPFE group, when compared to the no-PPFE group, showed lower BMI and lung function and showed more frequent complications and poorer survival during follow-up.

Muscle Flap Transposition for the Management of Intrathoracic Fistulas.

BACKGROUND: Intrathoracic fistulas pose unique challenges for thoracic and reconstructive surgeons. To decrease the incidence of fistula recurrence, pedicled flaps have been suggested to buttress the repair site. The authors aimed to report their experience with muscle flap transposition for the management of intrathoracic fistulas. METHODS: A retrospective review of all patients who underwent intrathoracic muscle flap transposition for the management of intrathoracic fistulas from 1990 to 2010 was conducted. Patient demographics, surgical characteristics, and complication rates were abstracted and analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 198 patients were identified. Bronchopleural fistula was present in 156 of the patients (79 percent), and 48 had esophageal fistula (24 percent). A total of 238 flaps were used, constituting an average of 1.2 flaps per patient. After the initial fistula repair, bronchopleural fistula complicated the course of 34 patients (17 percent), and esophageal fistula occurred in 13 patients (7 percent). Partial flap loss was identified in 11 flaps (6 percent), and total flap loss occurred in four flaps (2 percent). Median follow-up was 27 months. At the last follow-up, 182 of the patients (92 percent) had no evidence of fistula, 175 (89 percent) achieved successful chest closure, and 164 (83 percent) had successful treatment. Preoperative radiation therapy and American Society of Anesthesiologists score of 4 or greater were identified as risk factors for unsuccessful treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Intrathoracic fistulas remain a source of major morbidity and mortality. Reinforcement of the fistula closure with vascularized muscle flaps is a viable option for preventing dehiscence of the repair site and can be potentially life-saving. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, III.

Application of Narrow-Band Imaging thoracoscopy in diagnosis of pleural diseases.

BACKGROUND: Patients with undiagnostic pleural effusions are routinely examined by conventional medical thoracoscopy under the white light (WL). The endoscopic appearance of pleural diseases under WL could be misleading. Narrow-Band Imaging (NBI) has been applied as an interesting and effective diagnostic tool for endoscopy. However, there is also controversy about its value in the application of thoracoscopy. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the diagnostic value of NBI technology during thoracoscopy. METHODS: Patients with undiagnosed pleural effusions admitted to our hospital between September 2017 and September 2019 were enrolled. During the thoracoscopy, we performed WL mode first and then NBI. Pictures of endoscopic real-time lesions were recorded under two modes, and at least five pieces of tissue were taken, respectively, on pleura lesions. Biopsy specimens were respectively taken for pathologic analysis. Diagnostic sensitivity, specificity were calculated to compare with pathologic results. RESULTS: 100 eligible patients were enrolled, including 63 with malignancy, 23 with tuberculous pleurisy, 3 with systemic disease and 11 with the negative condition. Compared with pathological results, the sensitivity of WL was 91.01%, and NBI 84.27%; while the specificity of WL was 27.27%, and NBI 81.82%. Compared NBI with WL, the former's specificity is superior to the latter's, which is statistically significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The advantage of NBI lies in its high specificity. It's useful to diagnose unknown pleural effusions in clinical practice. With better visualization of blood vessels, we can enhance the accuracy of biopsy and reduce the risk of unexpected bleeding arose from the biopsy.

Clinical feature of diagnostic challenging cases for pleural biopsy in patient with malignant pleural mesothelioma.

OBJECTIVE: Pleural biopsy through video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS pleural biopsy) is the most reliable diagnostic procedure for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). However, definitive diagnosis of MPM is occasionally difficult to establish. This study aims to investigate clinicopathological features of MPM patients who failed diagnosis by the first VATS pleural biopsy. METHODS: Four hundred consecutive patients with suspected MPM who received VATS pleural biopsy between March 2004 and July 2017 were enrolled in this retrospective study. Patients, whose histological diagnoses were not definitive in the first VATS pleural biopsy, were followed up as atypical mesothelial proliferation (AMP) or non-specific pleuritis (NSP). Re-examination was performed in cases strongly suspected of having MPM. RESULTS: Of the 400 patients, 267 (66.8%) were pathologically diagnosed with MPM, 25 with metastatic carcinoma and 6 with benign pleural disease by the first VATS pleural biopsy. Of the remaining 102 patients diagnosed with AMP or NSP, 10 patients (9.8%) were subsequently diagnosed with MPM. Analysis of the clinical course revealed that only insufficient tissue for diagnosis was obtained via VATS pleural biopsy in all cases and that it was caused by very early stage without visible tumour in 4 patients, intrathoracic inflammation in 4 and desmoplastic MPM in 2. CONCLUSIONS: In our review, 9.8% of patients diagnosed with AMP or NSP in first VATS pleural biopsy were subsequently diagnosed with MPM due to insufficient tissue for diagnosis. Definitive diagnosis via VATS pleural biopsy is sometimes challenging in following situation; very early stage, intrathoracic inflammation and desmoplastic MPM.

Airway-centered Fibroelastosis Accompanied by Subpleural Lesions of Unknown Cause in a Young Man Who Later Developed Pulmonary Hypertension.

A 26-year-old man with a history of bronchial asthma was found to have high-density shadows along the bronchovascular bundle and in the subpleural area on computed tomography of the chest. Surgical lung biopsy specimens from the right S5 showed fibroelastosis in the subpleural and central airway area with alveolar destruction. He was diagnosed with airway-centered fibroelastosis of unknown cause after multidisciplinary discussions. The patient developed pulmonary hypertension and died 6 years later. The patient was younger in comparison to patients in earlier reports and had more obvious subpleural fibroelastic lesions in the upper lobes than in previously described cases.

Pleural Cryobiopsy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Pleural biopsy using either video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery or medical pleuroscopy is the current diagnostic criterion standard for pleural pathology with a high, yet imperfect, diagnostic yield. Cryobiopsy may provide greater tissue, increase depth of sampled tissue, and/or reduce crush artifact. However, its impact on diagnostic yield remains uncertain, and there are potential concerns regarding its safety too. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the same. METHODS: We performed a systematic search of MEDLINE, Embase, and Google Scholar for studies evaluating the performance of pleural cryobiopsy, assessing the quality of each study using the Quality Assessment, Data Abstraction and Synthesis-2 tool. Using inverse variance weighting, we performed a meta-analysis of diagnostic yield estimations. We also reviewed specimen characteristics and complications related to the procedure. RESULTS: Seven observational studies involving 586 pleural biopsies (311 cryobiopsies and 275 flexible forceps biopsies) were evaluated. All but one study used a semi-rigid thoracoscope. Meta-analysis generated a diagnostic yield of 96.5% for cryobiopsy and 93.1% for forceps biopsy with an inverse variance-weighted OR of 1.61 (95% CI, 0.71-3.66) and an I2 of 16%. No instances of moderate to severe bleeding were reported with cryobiopsy. A funnel plot illustrated no major publication bias. CONCLUSIONS: Based on analysis of relatively homogenous observational data, pleural cryobiopsy is safe but does not increase diagnostic yield over flexible forceps biopsy. Adequately powered multicenter randomized trials are needed for further investigation.