STUDY OBJECTIVE To assess the relative benefit of thoracoscopy vs open thoracotomy in the removal of benign neurogenic, mediastinal tumors (BNMTs). DESIGN Retrospective comparative study of thoracoscopy and open thoracotomy. SETTING Patients underwent surgery at the thoracic surgical services of two institutions from 1988 to 1994. Patients who underwent thoracoscopy were operated on more re...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether the acute pain experienced during in-hospital recovery from thoracotomy can be effectively reduced by the use of intraoperative measures (dissection of the neurovascular bundle prior to the positioning of the Finochietto retractor and preservation of the intercostal nerve during closure). METHODS We selected 40 patients who were candidates for elective thoracotom...

Introduction: Pediatric empyema is the most common complication of childhood pneumonia. Our aim is to share the characteristics and treatment methods of pediatric empyema treated with surgery. Materials and methods: 66 pediatric patients with pleural empyema were included in the study. Patients were classified as patients treated with tube thoracostomy and thoracotomy. The characteristics of th...

BACKGROUND Right mini-thoracotomy and partial sternotomy are widely recognized as effective approaches in minimally invasive aortic valve replacement (AVR). The aim of this study was to evaluate the objective benefits of the respective approaches compared to the conventional approach. METHODS AND RESULTS: A retrospective analysis was performed in 282 consecutive patients who underwent isolated ...

Minimally invasive aortic valve replacement (MICSAVR) has traditionally been performed through forechest approaches, including partial sternotomy, parasternal thoracotomy, or anterior inter-costal thoracotomy (1-3). Proximity to the ascending aorta and aortic valve seems to be advantageous in these approaches. Fore-chest skin incisions are not necessarily ideal, as minimally invasive surgery ma...

We investigated the role of routine video-assisted thoracoscopy (VAT) prior to thoracotomy. From June 1993 to May 1995, we routinely performed VAT prior to all our elective thoracotomies in adults. Patients who planned to have video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS), those who underwent emergency thoracotomy, and patients younger than 10 years old were excluded from this study. There were 63 pat...

OBJECTIVE To compare two thoracotomy closure techniques (pericostal and transcostal suture) in terms of postoperative pain and pulmonary function. METHODS This was a prospective, randomized, double-blind study carried out in the Department of Thoracic Surgery of the Luzia de Pinho Melo Hospital das Clínicas and at the University of Mogi das Cruzes, both located in the city of Mogi das Cruzes,...

OBJECTIVE Predicted postoperative forced expiratory volume in 1s (ppoFEV1) is estimated in lung cancer patients before pulmonary resection, as well as the clinical stage. This study aims to evaluate ppoFEV1 and ppo-vital capacity (ppoVC) on postoperative day 7 (POD7) and to compare the results following video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) and open thoracotomy procedures. METHODS Of the 155...

BACKGROUND Chronic pain is common after thoracotomy with reported prevalence rates of 20-60%. The pain may be caused by damage to the intercostal nerves during surgery. Some studies have suggested that young age at the time of surgery reduces the risk of developing chronic pain. So far, no studies have examined if children and adolescents develop chronic pain after thoracotomy. METHODS Eighty...

BACKGROUND Despite extensive investigations some patients with suspected lung cancer may undergo thoracotomy without preoperative histological proof of malignancy. A questionnaire on the use of histological examination of peroperative frozen sections in such patients was sent to 50 thoracic surgeons. Replies were received from 41 surgeons and indicated an absence of consensus on the usefulness ...