Risk factors for bronchopleural fistula after right pneumonectomy: does eliminating the stump diverticulum provide protection?

PURPOSE: Bronchopleural fistula (BPF) remains an important source of morbidity and mortality after right pneumonectomy. We reviewed our 18-year institutional experience with right pneumonectomy to identify risks factors for BPF. METHODS: From 1992 to 2010, a total of 145 patients who underwent right pneumonectomy were identified from an institutional database. Median age was 56 years. Most patients (66.2%) underwent surgery for non-small cell lung cancer. Sixty-seven patients (46.2%) received either chemotherapy or radiotherapy before surgery. Medical records were reviewed for 14 variables potentially predictive for BPF, including two airway closure techniques (standard bronchial closure and carinal closure). Variables predictive of BPF by univariate analysis were entered into a logistic regression model. RESULTS: The overall mortality rate was 13.1% (n=19), with 15.9 and 10.5% mortality in the bronchial closure and carinal closure groups, respectively (P=0.33). The overall BPF rate was 7.6% (n=11), with a 3.9% (3 of 76) rate in the carinal closure group compared to 11.6% (8 of 69) in the bronchial closure group (P=0.08). Seven of eight bronchial closure patients who developed BPF required operative repair. Only one of three patients who developed BPF after carinal closure did not spontaneously heal after open drainage. Multivariate analysis identified preoperative radiation dose (P=0.042) and bronchial closure (P=0.041) as independent risk factors for BPF, while the length of postoperative ventilation before development of BPF approached significance (P=0.057). CONCLUSIONS: In our experience, higher preoperative radiation doses are a risk factor for BPF after right pneumonectomy, while carinal closure exerts a protective effect.

Prognostic indicators after surgery for thymoma.

BACKGROUND: We undertook a 20-year retrospective institutional study to investigate prognostic indicators after surgery for thymoma. METHODS: From 1989 to 2009, 83 patients underwent surgical resection of thymoma or thymic carcinoma at our institution. Twelve of these patients were determined to have either World Health Organization type C disease or Masaoka stage IV-B disease and were excluded from analysis. The remaining 71 patients were reviewed. RESULTS: The majority of patients in this series were female 64.7% (n=46) with an overall average age of 51.0 years. The distribution of Masaoka stages I, II, III, and IV-A was 40.8% (n=29), 19.7% (n=14), 18.3% (n=13), and 21.1% (n=15), respectively. Thirteen of the 28 (46.2%) patients who presented with stage III or IV-A disease received preoperative chemotherapy. After a mean follow-up of 66 months (range, 6 to 241 months), 54 (75.3%) patients are alive and well while six are alive with disease. Eleven (16.0%) patients have died, but only 3 (4.3%) of these patients died of thymoma. The overall disease-specific survival was 97% and 89% at 5 and 10 years. Of the variables analyzed, only age was predictive of overall survival (p=0.03). Masaoka stages I to III as compared with stage IV-A was significantly predictive of disease-free survival (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Long-term disease-specific survival can be expected not only after surgery for early stage thymoma but also after surgery for advanced disease, including patients with pleural metastases. However, patients who undergo surgery for stage IV-A disease have reduced disease-free survival. Late mortality due to secondary cancers and associated immunologic disorders was more frequent than mortality from thymoma in this series.