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A schwannoma of the phrenic nerve is a rare disorder which presents as a tumour of the anterior mediastinum. It is seen in adults and is usually latent. We report two cases in elderly subjects in whom the phrenic nerve tumour had achieved a significant size. One of these schwannomas had degenerated into sarcomatous change which is the first case reported to the present time.

Lymphangiohemangiomas of the mediastinum are exceedingly rare. Clinically they tend to behave like lymphangiomas. We report 3 new cases. All 3 cases showed both lymphatic and vascular components. One case was associated with a left superior vena cava. In both other cases computed tomography with dynamic scans demonstrated the vascular components. Combined lymphatic venous malformation was thus evidenced in the 3 cases and supports that lymphangiohemangiomas are malformative in origin.

A young man aged 26 was admitted as an emergency to the thoracic surgical unit for a pericardial tamponade associated with a tumour in the left anterosuperior mediastinum. After pericardial drainage by the sub-xiphoid route a left anterior mediastinotomy showed that the tumour had disappeared and a flabby diverticulum of the pericardium was found which was resected. Pericardial diverticulae are coelomic cysts which are usually considered to be congenital in origin similar to the pleuro-pericardiac cysts to which they are attached. The clinical history, which had a particularly dramatic and alarming onset is in favour of an acquired disease which is equally possible in this type of lesion.

Objective: Peripheral tumors 3 cm or less in diameter are classified T1, T2 when rupturing the visceral pleura, T3 when invading parietal pleura, chest wall, mediastinal pleura or pericardium and T4 when invading vertebra or mediastinal structures. Our objective was to assess the prognostic significance of T and N status according to the size of such tumors., Patients and Methods: Patients (918) were operated upon between April 1984 and December 1991. Surgery included complete resection and mediastinal lymphadenectomy. Tumors 3 cm or less were studied concerning T, N status, histology and survival., Results: There were 314 such tumors (T1 = 215, T2 = 64, T3 = 35, T4 = 6); N status was N0 60.2%, N1 21%, N2 18.8%. Global 5-year survival was 52.59%. In case of N0, survival was 64.63%: T1 = 63.76%, T2 = 71.48%, T3 = 45.71%, T4 = 66.6%; which was not significant. There were 48 tumors 1.0 cm or less in diameter (G1), 111 tumors 1.1-2.0 cm in diameter (G2) and 155 tumors 2.1-3 cm in diameter (G3). The incidence of N0, N1 and N2 disease was 77.1, 10.4 and 12.5%, respectively in G1, 64, 18 and 18% in G2, and 52.3, 26.5 and 21.3% in G3. The 5-year survival rate was 62.46% for G1, 52.91% for G2 and 49.36% for G3 (NS). In cases of N1 and N2, survival was 48.41% and 20.2% which was significant (P < 0.05) but differences between each T and each G were not significant., Conclusions: Small peripheral cancers spread into mediastinal nodes in 12.5-21.3% of cases, according to the size. This is a warning to perform nodes resections in cases where surgeons intend a videothoracoscopic approach. N2 status is not only an indicator but also a governor of prognosis. Neither T status nor size are determinants of prognosis as far as tumors 3 cm in diameter or less are concerned.

Purpose: Retrospective analysis of the results of radical surgery in a series of 969 patients presenting with non-small cell lung cancer., Patients and Methods: From April 1984 to December 1981, 969 patients underwent radical surgery with mediastinal node dissection for non-small cell lung cancer. Surgery included 507 pneumonectomies, 447 lobectomies and 15 segmentectomies (for patients suffering from respiratory failure)., Results: The rate of intrahospital mortality was 4.3%. The rate of crude survival at 5-years was 45.8%. The tumor size (P = 0.004) and visceral pleura ruptures (P = 0.01) were significantly correlated to the 5-year survival rate that was reaching 56% for patients with no demonstrable metastasis to regional lymph nodes (NO), 46.6% for patients with metastasis to lymph nodes in the peribronchial or the ipsilateral hilar region (N1), and 20.8% for patients with metastasis to the ipsilateral mediastinal and subcarinal lymph nodes (N2) (P = 0.001). In case of stage N2 cancer, the 5-year survival rate was 28.7% when only one anatomical level was involved, and 8.7% when more than one anatomical level was involved (P < 0.0001)., Conclusion: The main prognostic factor was nodal involvement.

The aim of this study was to describe in detail the anastomoses between the pulmonary lymphatic vessels and the veins of the neck so as to better understand their role in certain aspects of thoracic surgery. The lymphatic vessels of 687 pulmonary segments in 360 cadavers were injected. A detailed study of the proximal end of the right paratracheal, right tracheo-esophageal, left preaortocarotid and left recurrent lymph node chains was undertaken. The results showed the absence of any major right lymphatic "vein". There were, however, many lymphatic arches draining into the jugulo-subclavian confluence ipsilaterally, and, in 10 to 15% of cases, contralaterally as well. The intertracheobronchial lymph nodes also drained into the venous confluence of the neck via direct lymphatic vessels, without lymph node relays. Finally, the left mediastinal lymph node chains were frequently found to drain into the arch of the thoracic duct (40% of cases), and reflux due to valvular incompetence at this level may account for chylous pericarditis and some cases of chylothorax after surgery.

The aim of this study was to describe in detail the anastomoses between pulmonary lymphatic vessels and veins of the neck so as to better understand certain complications in thoracic surgery. Lymphatic vessels of 687 pulmonary segments in 360 cadavers were injected. Detailed study of the end of the right paratracheal, right thoraco oesophageal, left preaorticocarotid and left recurrent lymph node chains was undertaken. The results showed the absence of any major right lymphatic duct. There were, however, many lymphatic arches draining into the jugulo-subclavian confluent ipsilaterally and, in 10 to 25% of cases, contralaterally, as well. The intertracheobronchial lymph nodes also drained into the venous confluents of the neck, via direct lymphatic vessels, without lymph node relays. Lastly, the left mediastinal lymph node chains were frequently found to drain into the arch of the thoracic duct (40% of cases), and reflux by valvular incompetence at this level could be an explanation for chylous pericarditis and some chylothoraxes after surgery.

A prospective study of prognosis factors for operated non-small-cell bronchogenic cancer was conducted to assess those proposed by the T.N.M. classification. From April 1984 to December 1993, 918 patients aged 32 to 83 years underwent surgery: 389 stage I; 367 stage II; 367 stage IIIa; and 25 stage IIIb. Macroscopic exeresis was satisfactory in all patients and node dissection of the mediastinum was performed. Post-operative mortality was 4%. Overall actuarial survival at 5 years was 43.9%, stage I 59.5%; stage II 53.8%; stage IIIa 25.1%; stage IIIb 29.3%. Tumor size, presence of visceral pleural invasion, and presence of local invasion (T3 and T4) worsened prognosis (concerning T). The prognosis value of N was the determining element: survival at 5 years, 56.3% for N0; 47.5% for N1 and 20% for N2. When metastases invaded two node chains in combinaison with T3, prognosis was poor. These cancers were stage IV.

Cases of hyperinflation of native emphysematous lung have been reported in the early period after single-lung transplantation. We report a case of a similar complication that occurred 2 years after transplantation and was successfully treated by lobectomy.

This retrospective study was based on 237 patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and nodal N2 disease. All accessible mediastinal lymph nodes (LN) were removed and classified according to their anatomical location in LN chains. The pulmonary resections performed were: pneumonectomy (n = 187), lobectomy (n = 44) and segmentectomy (n = 4). There was solitary nodal chain involvement by metastasis in 141 cases, two chains in 72 cases and three or more in 24; "skip" metastases were present in 26.6%. N2 disease would have been missed in 45 cases of single chain involvement (31.9%) if routine removal of mediastinal nodes had not been performed. The overall 5-year survival rate was 18.8%. Survival was not influenced by site, size or extension (T) of tumor, tumor histology or the presence of vascular invasion. The prognosis was significantly worsened by the presence of microscopic residual disease (30 cases) and of satellite nodules (23 cases). Survival was significantly improved when metastases involved a single LN chain (26.3 versus 8.3%, P = 0.0003). The location and number of involved nodes in the chain, "skip" metastases and the presence of extracapsular spread of carcinoma did not influence the prognosis. Routine mediastinal LN dissection is necessary to improve survival and for classification of lung cancer. Anatomic description allows better understanding of N2 disease which is not a contraindication to surgery when a gross complete resection can be achieved.

The occurrence of a pneumothorax occurring as a complication of AIDS is a poor prognostic sign. We have undertaken a review of 26 patients admitted to hospital for a pneumothorax of whom 25 were admitted for therapy: five resolved under simple drainage; twenty required a pleurodesis which was performed on thirteen under video thoracoscopy: these were recurrent pneumothoraces and were bilateral in half the patients; all had failed under simple drainage. The hospital mortality was 30%; the follow-up was unusually long in the majority of cases and only 20% had a simple follow-up. The analysis of this population showed that the results were not tied to the proposed treatment but to the state of the disease and to the pre-existence of pulmonary lesions most often in relation to pneumocystis. Video thoracoscopy enables one to inspect the lung and to resect the diseased area at the origin of the air leak. The technique also enables the pleurodesis to be achieved and a pleural or lung biopsy to be obtained in a relative non-invasive fashion.

Fifty eight patients were treated for mediastinal tuberculous adenopathies in the thoracic surgery department from 1986 to 1992. Surgery was diagnostic in 49: mediastinoscopy n = 42, left anterior mediastinotomy n = 3, thoracotomy n = 3 and video assisted surgery n = 1. Surgery was in view of cure in 9: bronchial fistula despite medical treatment n = 6, recurrence under medical treatment n = 3. Mediastinal tuberculous adenopathies rarely complicate in adults. Surgical treatment is quickly effective in prolonging and complicating cases under medical treatment and also probably diminishes the risk of bronchial and pulmonary sequellaes.

For a period of 35 months, 50 patients presenting with a total of 61 peripheral pulmonary nodules were operated on under videothoracoscopy. As a matter of principle none of these nodules were marked radiologically pre-operatively. All the scanners were reviewed retrospectively by a radiologist and a thoracic surgeon without knowing the results of the thoracoscopic intervention: 23 of these patients on the evidence would have quite obviously required preoperative marking (group I), and 27 would have been presented for direct thoracoscopy (group II). In group I there was only one group of nodules which could not be localised and by necessity, a thoracotomy was required. In group II, two nodules could only be localised thanks to a mino-thoracotomy. The level of failure was between 4 and 7%, and was identical to that found in the literature for different techniques of pre-operative radiological marking: these techniques were often complicated by a pneumothorax and intrapulmonary haemorrhage. These techniques for marking are used extensively. Prospective studies based on precise and complete criteria should enable better definition of rare cases which might benefit.

From April 1984 to December 1990, 66 patients 75 years of age or older underwent curative mediastinal lymph node dissection. There were 37 pneumonectomies. Post-operative mortality was 12% and was not affected by the type of dissection. Five-year survival was 16.2 +/- 6.29% (median 23 months) and was more than 45% in less elderly patients. Survival rate was highly affected by presence of metastasis in the mediastinal nodes and was zero in N2 cases. More than half of the patients died from cancer-related causes. Generally, we operate all the N2 cases which appear technically dissectable. Retrospectively, we think that N2 stage detected, and confirmed histologically in patients over 75, would be the only contra-indication for this attitude.