Is it a myth to perform blind apical wedge resection in primary spontaneous pneumothorax surgery to improve recurrence rates?

BACKGROUND: Video-assisted thoracoscopy surgery (VATS) is the first method for the surgical treatment of primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP). Many surgeons traditionally performed bullectomy or wedge resection (WR) in addition to mechanical or chemical pleurodesis. Our study aimed to determine whether WR was necessary without seeing bleb or bullae during the surgery. METHODS: Patients with no bleb or bullae detected during surgery were included in the study. Apical pleurectomy was performed in all cases. The patients were divided into two groups as WR and non-WR. The minimum follow-up period was 24 months. Medical records of patients were evaluated retrospectively. Patients who could not be followed up were excluded from the study. RESULTS: A total of 104 surgical treatments of PSP were performed, WR was not performed in 70 cases (67.3%). The surgical time was statistically significantly longer in the WR group than in the non-WR group. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of drainage amount, drain removal time, length of hospital stay and bleeding requiring thoracotomy. Prolonged air leak was more common in the non-WR group than in the WR group (7.1% vs. 2.9%; P = 0.661). There was no difference in the rate of recurrence in either group. Recurrence was 2.9% (1/34) in the WR group and 2.9% (2/70) in the non-WR group. CONCLUSION: In VATS of PSP, blind apical WR without bleb or bullae reduced prolonged air leakage but did not contribute to lowering the rate of pneumothorax recurrence.

Relation of Warrick Score and Polysomnographic Parameters in Patients with Interstitial Lung Disease.

BACKGROUND Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is often reported in connection with interstitial lung disease. As yet, there is insufficient data on the association of OSA severity parameters with lung involvement. We purposed to assess the frequency of OSA in our study group and to investigate the relationship between radiological involvement and OSA severity parameters. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study included 79 patients with interstitial lung disease who underwent spirometry, a carbon monoxide diffusion test (DLCO), high-resolution computed tomography, and polysomnography. The data were analyzed using SPSS 22 software. RESULTS Of the 79 patients, 53 patients (67.1%) had OSA, and there was a negative correlation between DLCO and the mean time spent with oxygen saturation levels below 90% (r=-0.686, P=0.001). The Warrick score was used as an indicator of the extent and severity of pulmonary involvement and was positively correlated with the apnea-hypopnea index, oxygen desaturation index, and the mean time spent with oxygen saturation below 90% (r=0.275, P=0.014; r=0.264 P=0.019; r=0.235, P=0.038). CONCLUSIONS In our study, a significant relationship was found between the Warrick score and the OSA severity parameters, as determined by polysomnography. Polysomnographic examinations might be useful, especially in patients with a Warrick score greater than 15, to avoid possible complications.

Primary Pulmonary Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma.

Malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) cases are classified within the group of nonclassified sarcomas. The etiopathogenesis is unclear; however, MFH commonly develops in scar tissue and in areas exposed to radiation. MFH is the most common soft tissue sarcoma in adults and may be borne in the lungs, chest wall, mediastinum, or other tissues. Primary MFH of the lung constitutes less than 0.2% of all pulmonary neoplasms; thus, an optimal treatment strategy has not yet been elucidated. We aimed to report a case of MFH of the lung with subsequent treatment administration.

Have You Seen My Teeth? A Case with an Extraordinary Radiologic Finding.

A 55-year-old man was admitted to the emergency department with severe dyspnea and hoarseness, starting immediately after a hypotensive syncope attack at home. Pulmonary auscultation revealed generalized stridor and right-sided wheezing, with no finding in the upper airway on direct laryngoscopy. Chest X-ray and computed thorax tomography revealed a high-density foreign body on the carina, causing partial obstruction in the right main bronchus. The fractured dental plate, probably aspirated during the syncope attack, was successfully removed by rigid bronchoscopy. The postoperative period was uneventful and the patient was discharged on the same day. Rapid physical and radiologic examination of patients with severe acute dyspnea is vital for determining the treatment modality and preventing any potential mortality.

Double segmentectomy for T4 lung cancer in a pulmonary-compromised patient.

Complete resection is the optimal treatment for primary lung cancer. The choice of surgical methods varies depending on tumor size, tumor location, and each patient's respiratory reserve. Currently, lobectomy with lymph node dissection is the gold standard for the surgical management of lung cancer. However, many thoracic surgical candidates also have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or emphysema and thus present with minimal lung reserve. In the past few years, more reports have been published on the outcomes of patients who underwent anatomic segmentectomy for lung cancer. Herein we report the surgical outcomes of a patient with limited respiratory reserve, who underwent double segmentectomy.