Single incision thoracoscopic left lower lobe superior segmentectomy for non-small cell lung cancer.

Lobectomy with mediastinal node dissection has been standard treatment for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Nowadays, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is gaining acceptance as an alternative treatment option, given the quality-of-life benefits that it confers. For the VATS procedure, most surgeons create two or three ports with a utility incision of 3 to 5 cm. However, with acquired skill and instrumentation advances, single-incision thoracoscopic surgery has emerged over time. Here, we report the case of an 86-year-old female with NSCLC treated by single-incision segmentectomy.

Bronchioloalveolar carcinoma in a juvenile rhadomyosarcoma patient.

Primary tumors of the lung are uncommon in pediatric patients, particularly bronchioloalveolar carcinoma (BAC). An 11-year-old female suffering from back pain for 1 month was referred to Seoul St. Mary's Hospital for treatment of a pathologic fracture of the lumbar spine. Comprehensive evaluation disclosed numerous pulmonary metastases of rhabdomyosarcoma (stage IV). During chemotherapy, most of the lung lesions regressed, with the exception of two nodules. Wedge resections, intended for diagnosis and cure, yielded a histologic diagnosis of BAC.

Pulmonary benign metastasizing leiomyoma: report of three cases.

Benign metastasizing leiomyoma is very rare and usually occurs in women who undergo hysterectomy and myomectomy for uterine leiomyoma. This is a benign spindle-shaped smooth muscle cell tumor pathologically but metastasizes to the extrauterine organs. Lungs are the most common site of metastasis. We observed three cases of pulmonary benign metastasizing leiomyoma.

Pain after median sternotomy: collateral damage or mitigatable byproduct?

BACKGROUND: Postoperative acute pain can cause anxiety and decrease the quality of life in patients. Acute sternal bone pain after cardiac surgery can persist for long time. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to explore the relationships between the degree of sternal misalignment and the degree of acute sternal pain after coronary artery bypass grafting surgery (CABG). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed postoperative coronary computed tomographic (CT) angiography and medical records in 104 patients who received CABG between May 1, 2009 and January 31, 2011. CT scan was classified into five categories, and we compared the degree of misalignment and subjective pain via numerical rating scale (NRS) system. RESULTS: Positive correlation was noted between NRS and the degree of sternal misalignment (Pearson correlation coefficient 0.660, p = 0.000). CONCLUSION: Postoperative sternal pain is related to the degree of misalignment of the sternal halves. It would be appropriate for surgeons to approximate the sternal halves accurately to decrease the postoperative sternal wound pain in the first place.

Lung Cancer Associated with Sarcoidosis - A case report -.

Sarcoidosis is a somewhat common pulmonary disease, but the concurrence of lung cancer and sarcoidosis in the same patient is very rare. Because sarcoidosis usually presents as mediastinal lymphadenopathies, this concurrence in a lung cancer patient detected radiologically is apt to be misunderstood to be mediastinal metastases, and it is thus considered to be an unresectable disease. We report a case of lung cancer associated with sarcoidosis that developed in a 65-year-old woman who underwent surgery. Radiological studies revealed a 1.9×1.7 cm mass in the left upper lobe with multiple enlarged bilateral mediastinal lymph nodes (2R, 3a, 4R, 4L, 5, 6, 7, 8R). Pathologic findings showed that the mass was a well-differentiated adenocarcinoma and all of the enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes were granulomas without cancer metastasis. We report this case with a review of the literature.

On-Pump versus Off-pump Myocardial Revascularization in Patients with Renal Insufficiency: Early and Mid-term Results.

BACKGROUND: Myocardial revascularization in patients with renal insufficiency is challenging to the cardiac surgeon, irrespective of utilizing extracorporeal circulation. This study aimed to compare the number of bypass grafts and the mid-term results and to evaluate independent survival predictors in patients with renal insufficiency undergoing on-pump or off-pump myocardial revascularization. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the data of 103 patients with renal insufficiency, who had isolated myocardial revascularization between January 1999 and January 2009. The patients were divided into two groups, the on-pump group and the off-pump group. RESULTS: The off-pump group received a significantly greater number of distal arterial grafts than the on-pump group. However, the mean number of total grafts, the degree of complete revascularization, and survival rate of the patients were not significantly different between the two groups. Multivariate analysis showed the independent predictors for reduced mid-term survival were the number of total grafts and postoperative periodic renal replacement therapy. Off-pump myocardial revascularization does not decrease the number of bypass grafts or influence on the mid-term results for patients with renal insufficiency, compared to on-pump myocardial revascularization. CONCLUSION: Myocardial revascularization with a large number of total grafts has a beneficial effect on survival in patients with renal insufficiency, irrespective of utilizing extracorporeal bypass.