Recent studies suggest that pulmonary vein isolation can be an effective method of treatment for atrial fibrillation. This procedure can be performed with minimally invasive, totally endoscopic cardiac surgical techniques. We report our first successful endoscopic isolation of the pulmonary veins in a patient with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. The procedure consisted of making a box lesion ar...

Current efforts on expanding minimally invasive techniques into the realm of oncological surgery are hindered by lack of accurate visualization of tumor margins and failure to detect micro metastases in real time. We used a systemic delivery of a herpes viral vector with cancer-selective infection and replication to precisely differentiate between normal and malignant tissue. NV1066 is a geneti...

Chyle leak is an unwelcome complication of esophagectomy that is associated with a high mortality. The diagnosis of this condition may be difficult or delayed and requires a high index of suspicion. Management varies from conservative treatment with drainage, intravenous nutrition, treatment and prevention of septic complications, to re-operation, either by thoracotomy or laparotomy to control ...

Minimally invasive esophagectomy has recently become popular after the laparoscopic technique was developed. However, the postoperative energy expenditure in patients undergoing this procedure has not been evaluated. Therefore, we hypothesized that postoperative resting energy expenditure (REE) following minimally invasive esophagectomy is lower than that estimated using the Harris-Benedict equ...

An ever-increasing number of thoracic procedures are being performed through minimally invasive techniques. Although the incidence of hypoxemia during one-lung ventilation (OLV) has decreased over the years, it remains an issue in roughly 10% of cases. Algorithms for the management of OLV hypoxemia have to be adapted to the thoracoscopic approach, in particular the need for optimal surgical exp...

PURPOSE diverticula of the esophagus represent a rare pathological entity. Distinct classifications of the disease imply different surgical concepts. Surgery should be reserved for symptomatic patients only. Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for treatment of esophageal diverticula encompasses rigid and flexible intraluminal endoscopy, thoracoscopy and laparoscopy. We here give an overview on the...

Minimally invasive procedures are becoming increasingly more common in surgery. However, the biomaterials capable of delivering biomimetic, three-dimensional (3D) functional tissues a minimally manner and exhibiting ordered structures after delivery lacking. Herein, we reported fabrication gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA)-coated, 3D expanded nanofiber scaffolds, their potential applications tissue ...

conclusions from this experience, we argue that in the right circumstances a completely minimally invasive approach can be taken for synchronous congenital diaphragmatic hernias. case presentation in this case report we have a 2-day-old who developed respiratory distress and on ct scan was found to have a congenital diaphragmatic hernia (cdh) or eventration. this patient is ideal for this case ...

introduction percutaneous nephrolithotomy is generally considered a safe option for the management of large complex or infectious upper urinary tract calculi. biliary tract injury is a rare and potentially serious complication of percutaneous nephrolithotomy that can even lead to mortality, especially in cases where biliary peritonitis develops. all reported cases of biliary tract injury have b...

For expert pulmonologists, advanced procedures in medical thoracoscopy are the nonroutine and more complex applications of the method. The main current indications are the treatment of infected pleural space, forceps lung biopsy and sympathectomy. In parapneumonic effusions and empyema, medical thoracoscopy is as a drainage procedure, intermediate between tube thoracostomy and video-assisted th...