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OBJECTIVESPrimary spontaneous pneumothorax is a common disease, whose surgical treatment is still enigmatic in terms of timing and technique. Herein, we reported our experience with the parenchymal-sparing technique via cold coagulation (CC), in comparison to stapler apicectomy (SA).METHODSWe retrospectively collected data of all patients with apical blebs or RESULTSOut of 177 patients enrolled, 77 patients (CC group) underwent cold-coagulation of the apex while 100 patients (SA group) were treated with SA. Two groups were comparable in terms of age, surgical indication, intraoperative findings and affected side. CC group had a mean operative time of 43.2 min (standard deviation ± 19.5), shorter than SA group with 49.3 min (standard deviation ± 20.1, P-value: 0.050). Complication rate was significantly different between 2 groups, 5 (7%) and 16 (16%), for the CC and SA groups, respectively (P: 0.048), even if not in terms of prolonged postoperative air leak (P: 0.16). During the follow-up, 13 homolateral recurrences were reported: 2 (3%) in group CC and 11 (11%) in group SA; with a significant difference (P: 0.044). All reinterventions (postoperative prolonged air leak and recurrences) required an SA.CONCLUSIONSParenchymal-sparing technique through CC of apical blebs and bullae is an effective treatment for primary spontaneous pneumothorax and guarantees a good immediate lung sealing, despite stapling still represents the choice treatment in complex cases.

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of BMI on perioperative outcomes in patients undergoing VATS lobectomy or segmentectomy. Data from 5088 patients undergoing VATS lobectomy or segmentectomy, included in the VATS Group Italian Registry, were collected. BMI (kg/m

Introduction: Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (MPM) is characterized by an aggressive behavior and an inevitably fatal prognosis, whose treatment is still far from being standardized. The role of surgery is questionable since a radical resection is unattainable in most cases. Hyperthermic IntraTHOracic Chemotherapy (HITHOC) combines the advantages of antitumoral effects together with those of high temperature on the exposed tissues with the aim to improve surgical radicality. Material and Methods: this is a narrative review on the role of HITHOC in the management of MPM patients. To provide data on the beginnings and the historical evolution of this technique, we searched the available literature by selecting the more exhaustive papers on this topic. Results: from 1994 to date different authors experimented HITHOC following a cytoreductive surgery in MPM, obtaining in most cases a good local control and a better overall survival associated to very low complication rate. Conclusions: HITHOC may be considered as a safe, feasible and effective procedure although there is a high heterogeneity between different protocols adopted worldwide. More structured studies are needed to reach a unanimous consensus on this technique.

Background: The acceptance of uniportal video-assisted thoracic surgery (U-VATS) for thoracic procedures has been growing worldwide. This study reports one of the widest Italian U-VATS experiences. Methods: The prospectively collected data of 237 patients underwent a U-VATS procedure, between May 2016 and September 2017, were retrospectively reviewed. A wide range of procedures, like major and minor lung resections, esophageal surgery, pleural and mediastinal one, was performed. The main aim of the study was evaluating general outcomes in terms of safety and effectiveness, and analyzing short-term results of U-VATS approach. Results: The mean age of population was 59.93±16.03 years. In 208 cases (85.3%) a U-VATS lung resection was performed, in 10 cases (4.1%) an esophagectomy or an esophageal diverticulectomy, in 15 (6.1%) a mediastinal procedure and in 11 (4.5%) a toilette for pleural empyema or removal of pleural lesions. The chest tube duration was 4.24±3.73 days and the postoperative hospital stay was 4.62±4.59 days. The intraoperative and thirty-day mortality were null. Mean level of pain in I postoperative day was 2.30±1.26 on VAS scale and the mean duration was of 1.54±1.21 days. In 93% of cases there was a resolution of pain after chest tube removal. Furthermore, the average level of cosmetic satisfaction was 2.73±0.49 (measured on a 0–3 scale). Conclusions: According to our experience, U-VATS seems to be a safe and practicable mini-invasive technique, above all for surgeons who already have thoracoscopy experience or made proper training attending multilevel courses, hands-on conferences and wet-labs.

OBJECTIVES Risk factors for pneumothorax recurrence after videothoracoscopy for primary spontaneous pneumothorax are still being debated. The goal of this study was to assess whether the pleurodesis technique and other variables are possibly associated with the postoperative ipsilateral recurrence of pneumothorax. METHODS We retrospectively collected data of 1178 consecutive ≤40-year-old patients who underwent videothoracoscopy for primary spontaneous pneumothorax in 9 centres between 2007 and 2017. We excluded patients with hybrid pleurodesis and/or incomplete follow-up, leaving for analysis 843 cases [80% men; median age (interquartile range) 22 (18–28) years]. Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed by logistic regression and tested by Cox regression model to assess factors related to ipsilateral pneumothorax recurrence including age, gender, body mass index, smoking habit, cannabis smoking, respiratory comorbidity, dystrophic severity score, surgical indication, videothoracoscopy port number and side, lung resection, pleurodesis technique and postoperative prolonged air leak (>5 days). RESULTS Blebs/bullae resection was performed in 664 (79%) patients. Pleurodesis was achieved by partial pleurectomy in 228 (27%) cases; by pleural electrocauterization in 176 (21%); by pleural abrasion in 121 (14%); and by talc poudrage in 318 (38%). During a median follow-up period of 70.0 months (95% confidence interval 66.6–73.4), pneumothorax recurred in 79 patients (9.4%); among these, 29 underwent redo surgery; 34, chest drain/talc slurry; and 16, clinicoradiological observation. The only independent risk factor for recurrence was postoperative prolonged air leak (P CONCLUSIONS In this multicentric series, postoperative ipsilateral pneumothorax recurrence was remarkable and independently related to prolonged postoperative air leak; besides the retrospective study setting, the pleurodesis method did not have an impact on recurrence. To prevent prolonged air leak, blebs/bullae treatment should be accurate and performed only if indicated.

Objectives Thymomas are rare neoplasms with a low recurrence rate, which are preferably surgically treated. Iterative thymoma surgery has not been well investigated yet. Study aim is to analyse prognostic factors after iterative recurrence treatment. Methods Clinical, pathological and surgical findings of 155 patients, treated for thymoma recurrence in three high-volume centres from 01/01/1990 to 1/07/2017, were retrospectively reviewed. Recurrence patterns/treatment types (surgery or chemotherapy, radiotherapy or combined) were correlated to overall (OS) and disease free survival (DFS). Results Myasthenia Gravis was present in 135 (87%) patients. Surgery was performed in 135/155 (87%) patients with 109 (80.7%) complete resections. Sixty (55%)patients experienced a second recurrence surgically treated in 31/60 (52%) cases with 18 (58%) complete resections. Eleven (61%) patients experienced a third recurrence and nine underwent complete resection. Myastenia Gravis (HR: 0.45; 95% CI: 0.20-0.98, p = 0.046), DFS after the initial thymectomy >36 months (HR: 0.9; 95% CI: 0.96-0.99, p = 0.006) and complete second recurrence resection (HR: 1.45; 95% CI 2.07–10.01, p = 0.010) resulted as independent favorable prognostic survival factor. Despite patient selection bias, rewarding long-term survivals was predictable after iterative thymoma surgery (5 and 10 years survival of 79.6% and 64.6%) while a poor prognosis was observed after CT/RT (5 and 10 years OS of 56.7% and 21.5%), Masaoka stage and DFS > 36 months were risk factor for iterative recurrences. Conclusions Myasthenia Gravis and long DFS after thymectomy are favorable survival factors for multiple thymoma recurrences. Iterative surgical treatment is a viable therapeutic option associated to long-term survival if technically and clinically feasible.

Background: Multiportal thoracoscopic approach is already a well standardized procedure for minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE); conversely very few reports have been published about uniportal video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) technique till now. We present our preliminary experience with uniportal VATS esophagectomy, evaluating short-term outcomes as perioperative mortality, complications, oncological radicality, postoperative pain and cosmetic results. Methods: From December 2016 to November 2017, the prospectively collected clinical data of 12 patients, who underwent uniportal VATS esophagectomy and reconstruction with a stomach conduit, according to McKeown technique, were reviewed and outcomes evaluated. Results: The mean age of population was 60.67±8.61 years. Ten (83.3%) patients were males. The main histological type was a squamous cell carcinoma in six patients (50%). No patient had a local recurrence. After 4.33±3.31 months 10 patients (83.3%) were alive with no evidence of disease; 2 (16.7%) patients died of other causes. Two (16.7%) patients developed an anastomotic leak (treated conservatively) and one (8.3%) patient a chylothorax (which required a surgical treatment). The mean operative time of uniportal VATS esophagectomy was 104.67±20.66 min. Mean number of thoracic nodes removed was 10.44±3.94. Post-operative hospitalization was 15.73±14.29 days (median of 9 days). The mean level of pain was 1.92±0.90 in first postoperative day with a duration of 2.25±1.54 days. Cosmetic result was 2.42±0.79 on a 3-point scale. Conclusions: Uniportal VATS esophagectomy seems to be a safe, feasible and effective alternative to multiportal VATS in terms of operative time, postoperative mortality, hospital stay and oncological outcomes. Less postoperative pain and better cosmetic results seem to be some advantages in favor of Uniportal VATS, however further studies with longer follow-up are claimed.

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomy for patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has spread worldwide and it has become a safe and viable alternative to thoracotomy. The aim of this review was to analyse the evidence presents in the current literature in order to assess the safety and efficacy of VATS versus open lobectomy, in terms of short-term outcomes. To identify relevant articles for inclusion in our analysis, we performed a search of PubMed/Medline database. We looked for randomized controlled trials, case series and comparative studies that reported outcomes following VATS or open lobectomy for NSCLC. Morbidity rates are reduced to 7.7–24.1% and mortality to 0.8–2.5% by the VATS approach. The reported lower morbidity rates included less intraoperative bleeding; shorter duration of air leak; lower incidence of post-operative pneumonia, atelectasis requiring bronchoscopy and atrial fibrillation. Furthermore, VATS lobectomy showed shorter chest tube duration; shorter length of hospital stays; reduced post-operative pain and inflammation; a better pulmonary function in the early post-operative phase, when compared with thoracotomy. Summarizing, thoracoscopic approach represents a valid alternative technique to treat NSCLC compared with standard thoracotomy; it offers patients a faster recovery and a better quality of life and allows high-risk patients to benefit from curative surgical treatment. VATS lobectomy might become the choice surgical approach for early-stage NSCLC.

their anatomic proximity to other vital organs, visceral vessels are rarely injured alone (1), and isolated IMA injury as a result of blunt trauma is extremely rare. To the best of our knowledge, only one case has been reported, in which the injury involved a low-speed motor vehicle accident (2). Two mechanisms have been proposed to explain traumatic visceral artery injury. The first is shearing force causing avulsion of the artery at the junction between the retroperitoneal portion and unfixed portion of the bowel. The second mechanism is compression injury, in which the artery is crushed between the object producing the blunt force and the lumbar spine, as in the present case. In cases involving visceral branch avulsion at the orifice, embolization of the lacerated arterial stump and the arterial orifice is mandatory to achieve hemostasis. Trottier et al (3) reported a similar case with renal artery avulsion. Avulsion of the right renal polar artery originating from the right common iliac artery was treated by placing a stent graft into the right common iliac artery; however, subsequent enlargement of a retroperitoneal hematoma as a result of subclinical back-bleeding from the lacerated arterial stump led to abdominal compartment syndrome. Transcatheter embolization of lacerated IMA origins is another treatment option. Hamid et al (4) reported transcatheter embolization for lumbar artery avulsion using N-butyl cyanoacrylate (Histoacryl; B. Braun Melsungen AG, Melsungen, Germany) glue injected from the artery’s origin. However, glue injection has the potential risk of unintentional distal embolization or reflux to the aorta, and transcatheter embolization using detachable microcoils might be a safer alternative. Our method is a simple and safe method of controlling hemorrhage caused by visceral branch avulsion.

Oligometastasis represents a sub-group of systemic cancer diseases characterized by a limited (1 to 5) number of metastatic or recurrent lesions; when the disease presents in this particular state of progression the possibility to associate a local therapy to systemic treatment can lead to a favourable evolution with long-term survival and even cure. We have reviewed the literature in order to clarify the different trends of treatment in oligometastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), particularly referring to single brain or isolated adrenal gland metastasis. The cornerstone of treatment of oligometastatic disease is still represented by systemic therapy (chemotherapy and/or immunotherapy). Local aggressive therapy (surgery and/or radiotherapy) is mandatory to eradicate all known sites of disease (primary tumor and metastases). If technically possible and in fitting patients, surgical resection represents the gold standard in the “local” treatment of isolated metastasis. Radiotherapy is considered as a noninvasive alternative to the reference of surgery in not-fitting patients. Five-year survival ranges between 10% and 30% for brain metastases and between 11% and 34% in isolated adrenal gland metastases. Mediastinal node involvement of primary lung cancer, number of metastases and number of metastatic sites are the prominent predictors of survival in brain oligometastatic disease. Synchronous or metachronous character, side of adrenal metastasis with respect to primary lung cancer and N0/N1 versus N2 lung cancer stage are the principal prognostic factors in adrenal oligometastatic disease. Oligometastatic disease seems to be a less aggressive and slowly-growing cancer, characterized by a different biological and immunological environment, with a more indolent evolution; in this subgroup of patients, if primary tumour is controlled, in the absence of disseminated metastatic disease and in fitting population, an aggressive local approach seems to be not only efficacy, but even mandatory. However it has to be integrated in the setting of a multidisciplinary approach including surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and targeted therapies.