Background
Diaphragmatic endometriosis is a rare presentation of endometriosis and no standardized technique for surgical treatment is available so far. We aim to verify and describe feasibility, ...safety and post-operative outcomes of patients affected by diaphragmatic endometriosis treated with a minimally invasive video-assisted thoracic approach.
Methods
We prospectively collected data of all patients we operated on at our Institution for diaphragmatic endometriosis between 2015 and 2019. We included all patients with a previous histological diagnosis of pelvic or abdominal endometriosis who have complained chronic thoracic pain or who had two or more episodes of pneumothorax with or without radiological evidence of pleural and diaphragmatic endometriosis.
Results
During the study period, we operated on 22 patients, 20 on the right side, one on the left side and one bilaterally. Indication for surgery was based on symptoms and/or radiological evidence of diaphragmatic disease. Diaphragm was resected and reconstructed according to intraoperative findings; in 11 cases, an additional mesh was used to reinforce the suture. According to our experience with VATS, we shift from an open approach to a uniportal VATS technique.
Conclusions
Surgery for diaphragmatic endometriosis can be safely performed using a minimally invasive VATS approach, which is feasible and safe even when more extensive diaphragmatic resections are required, and it allows a lower post-operative pain compared to the open approach. Moreover, uniportal VATS approach guarantees similar outcomes with better cosmetic results.
Classic Hodgkin lymphomas are neoplasms originating from lymphoid tissue. Primary extra-nodal classic Hodgkin lymphoma (PE-cHL) of the lung is rare. A 37-years-old Caucasian male was referred to our ...hospital for recurrent episodes of hemoptysis, cough and bronchitis. A computed tomography (CT) scan showed a massive left upper lung consolidation, which was positive at the positron emission tomography (PET) scan. After several inconclusive tests and no benefit from medical therapies, the patient underwent a left upper lobectomy; pathology report showed a classical type Hodgkin lymphoma with no lymph-nodes involvement. Four cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy were administered with no toxicity. At the last follow up 14 months after surgery, the patient is alive and free from disease. Primary extra-nodal classical Hodgkin lymphoma of the lung is a rare entity, but it should be considered as a differential diagnosis in young patients with pulmonary consolidation even without systemic symptoms.
Background and Objectives
Adenocarcinoma patterns could be grouped based on clinical behaviors: low‐ (lepidic), intermediate‐ (papillary or acinar), and high‐grade (micropapillary and solid). We ...analyzed the impact of the second predominant pattern (SPP) on disease‐free survival (DFS).
Methods
We retrospectively collected data of surgically resected stage I and II adenocarcinoma. Selection criteria: anatomical resection with lymphadenectomy and pathological N0. Pure adenocarcinomas and mucinous subtypes were excluded. Recurrence rate and factors affecting DFS were analyzed according to the SPP focusing on intermediate‐grade predominant pattern adenocarcinomas.
Results
Among 270 patients, 55% were male. The mean age was 68.3 years. SPP pattern appeared as follows: lepidic 43.0%, papillary 23.0%, solid 14.4%, acinar 11.9%, and micropapillary 7.8%. The recurrence rate was 21.5% and 5‐year DFS was 71.1%. No difference in DFS was found according to SPP (p = .522).
In patients with high‐grade SPP, the percentage of SPP, age, and tumor size significantly influenced DFS (p = .016). In patients with lepidic SPP, size, male gender, and lymph‐node sampling (p = .005; p = .014; p = .038, respectively) significantly influenced DFS.
Conclusions
The impact of SPP on DFS is not homogeneous in a subset of patients with the intermediate‐grade predominant patterns. The influence of high‐grade SPP on DFS is related to its proportion in the tumor.
Abstract Background To assess the usefulness of18 fluorine-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18 F-FDG PET/CT) for differentiating the grade of malignancy of thymic ...epithelial neoplasm, and to determine whether18 F-FDG PET/CT can have a role in pretreatment evaluation and possibly modify treatment strategy. Materials and methods The data of 26 consecutive patients (14 males and 12 females) diagnosed with a thymic epithelial neoplasm were prospectively collected and analyzed retrospectively. All patients underwent standard clinical assessment and18 F-FDG PET/CT. The patients were divided into two subgroups according to a simplified histologic classification: low-risk thymoma (types A, AB and B1) and high-risk thymoma (types B2, B3 and C). The maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax ) of the tumor, the mean SUV of mediastinum, and the tumor/mediastinum (T/M) ratio (ratio of peak SUV of the tumor to mean SUV of mediastinum) were compared to determine whether the two subgroups (low-risk versus high-risk tumors) could be distinguished by18 F-FDG PET/CT, and to test for possible correlations between18 F-FDG uptake and disease stage. Results There was a strong statistical correlation between SUVmax and patient subgroup and between SUVmax and disease stage, and an even stronger correlation between SUVmax and patient subgroup and the T/M ratio; a T/M ratio of 2.75 emerged as the cut-off value for differentiating between low-risk and high-risk thymomas. Conclusions18 F-FDG PET/CT can be used a “metabolic biopsy” to divide thymic epithelial neoplasm into two subgroups of high and low risk and is useful in pretreatment staging.
Background and Purpose
Primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) tends to cluster. Previous studies have found a correlation between PSP and atmospheric pressure variations or thunderstorms. We ...conducted this study to analyze the PSP correlations with meteorological variables and the concentrations of air pollutants in the city of Cuneo in Italy (IT).
Methods
We evaluated prospectively 451 consecutive PSP patients treated between 2004 and 2010. For each day within the period analyzed, the meteorological parameters and pollutants data were recorded. Statistical analyses on PSP were done for distribution characteristics, spectral autocorrelation, and spectral analysis. Multivariate regression analyses were performed using artificial neural networks.
Results
Analysis of annual, seasonal, and monthly distributions showed no significant correlation between PSP and the time series. The spectral analysis showed that PSP events were not random. Correlations between meteorological and environmental variables confirmed that PSP was significantly more likely to occur on warm windy days with high atmospheric pressure and high mean nitrogen dioxide concentration.
Conclusions
Meteorological parameters and atmospheric pollutants might explain the cluster onset of PSP.
Summary Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease that can cause mainly hepatic and genitourinary damage, depending on the species. Involvement of the lungs has been commonly described in acute ...infection (Katayama syndrome) and chronic infection (pulmonary hypertension). Although rarely reported in the scientific literature, cases of lung nodules due to chronic schistosome infection are also possible and are probably more frequent than commonly thought. Here we report seven cases of African migrants who were diagnosed with chronic schistosomiasis and pulmonary nodules due to deposition of schistosome eggs, and we compare our findings to the case reports found in the scientific literature. We discuss the management of these patients in a non-endemic setting, beginning with a first fundamental step that is to include parasitic infections, namely schistosomiasis, in the differential diagnosis of pulmonary nodules in African immigrants. All patients responded to antiparasitic treatment with praziquantel after a relatively short time. We therefore conclude that lung biopsies and other invasive procedures (performed in the first cases to rule out other potential causes, such as tuberculosis or malignant nodules) can be avoided or postponed.
Objective: The purpose of the study was to explore the usefulness of fluorine-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (F-FDG PET-CT) in the preoperative assessment of ...isolated anterior mediastinal lesions, especially in the planning of operative strategy (biopsy or upfront resection). Methods: During the last 36 months, 19 consecutive patients (10 males, mean age 54 ± 16 years) underwent PET-CT in the preoperative work-up of isolated anterior mediastinal diseases. Maximal transverse diameter at CT and the postoperative histology and Masaoka staging for thymomas were collected and related to the maximum standardised uptake values (SUVs). Thymomas were divided into low-risk thymoma (LRT = A, AB and B1) and high-risk thymoma (HRT = B2, B3 and C). Results: There were 13 thymomas (six LRT and seven HRT), three lymphomas and three other primitive thymic tumours (one paraganglioma, two non-seminomatous germ cell tumours). In LRT, the mean SUV was 3.3 ± 0.5 resulting significantly lower than HRT, 13.5 ± 7 (p = 0.009). The SUV in LRT was also significantly lower with respect to lymphoma, 12.4 ± 4 (p = 0.001), and the other primitive anterior mediastinal tumours, 8 ± 0.8 (p = 0.001). Between thymomas we found a significant correlation between Masaoka stage and SUV, r = 0.718, p = 0.006. No correlation was found between transverse diameters and SUV, r = 0.141, p = 0.6. Conclusions: In our experience, low SUV (≪5) is associated with LRT and minimal invasive thymoma (Masaoka stages I–II) and, therefore, susceptible to upfront surgery. For lesions with an infiltrative aspect on CT scan associated with a higher SUV (>5), an open biopsy is mandatory to exclude mediastinal lymphomas or, in case of HRT, to address a neoadjuvant treatment.
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