ObjectiveTo analyze the effect of different drainage modes on the postoperative thoracic drainage after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for radical resection of lower lung carcinoma.MethodsA total of 183 patients with non-small cell lung cancer who received biportal thoracoscopic anatomical lower lobectomy combined with mediastinal lymph node dissection in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University from August 2017 to August 2019 were enrolled, including 113 males and 70 females, aged 31-77 (56.5±6.4) years. The patients were randomly divided into three groups, including an anterior axillary line group, a mid-axillary line group and a modified anterior axillary line group. Clinical efficacy of the three groups was compared.ResultsNo significant difference among these three groups in terms of gender, age, surgical site, pathological type, pathological staging, postoperative chest wall subcutaneous emphysema, postoperative pain score, and postoperative hospital stay was found (P>0.05). There were significant differences among the patients in terms of postoperative pleural effusion, re-insertion of chest tube or aspiration, total liquid quantity of thoracic drainage, drainage time and chest wall incision stitches time (P<0.05). The anterior axillary line group had higher risk of postoperative pleural effusion than the other groups (P<0.05). The occurrence of postoperative pleural effusion and rate of reposition of chest tube or aspiration were significantly reduced in the modified anterior axillary line group (P<0.05).ConclusionChest drainage tube with large diameter (24F) in the 5th intercostal space of the anterior axillary line combined with another micro-tube (8.5F) in the 7th or 8th intercostal space of the inferior scapular angle line can shorten drainage time to reduce postoperative pain, reduce the occurrence of postoperative pleural effusion, and shorten the time of surgical incision stitches.
Objective To evaluate the efficacy of total hip arthroplasty (THA) combined with femoral head autograft for Crowe type II and type III developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). Methods From January 2001 to January 2004, THA was performed for 23 patients (29 hips) with osteoarthritis secondary to DDH. There were 20 females (26 hips) and 3 males (3 hips) with an average age of 52 years (range 43-65 years). Unilateral DDH occurred in 17 patients and bilateral DDH occurred in6 patients. Based on radiographic classification of Crowe, there were 17 cases (20 hips) of type II and 6 cases (9 hips) of type III. The length difference was (2.9 ± 0.8) cm between two lower l imbs of the unilateral DDH patients. The Harris scores were 43.6 ± 13.8 preoperatively. The standard procedure of THA was performed in 3 patients (4 hips), the structural femoral head autograft for restoring normal level of rotating center of the acetabulum in other patients. Results The incision healed by first intention in all patients. No patient suffered compl ications after operation. The duration of follow-up ranged from 4 to 7 years (average 5.6 years). The X-ray films showed bony heal ing between the grafted bone and the il ium in all patients. At last follow-up, the length difference was (0.9 ± 0.2) cm between two lower l imbs and the Harris score was 86.3 ± 6.4; showing statistically differences (P lt; 0.05) when compared with preoperation. The X-ray films showed no dislocation of acetabulum, and femoral prosthesis, and no signs of dislocation, absorption and collapse of the grafted bone. Conclusion THA combined with structural femoral head autograft for patients with osteoarthritis secondary to DDH can obtain favorable results. This method can restore normal level of rotating center of the acetabulum, provide rel iable acetabular fixation, and restore acetabular bone stock in patients with Crowe type II and type III DDH.
Objective To evaluate the clinical role of video-assisted mediastinoscopy and its safety and effectiveness in the diagnosis of thoracic disease. Methods We reviewed the clinical data of consecutive 40 patients (25 males and 15 females with an average age of 54.6 years) who received video-assisted mediastinoscopic surgery in our department of thoracic surgery from December 2011 to November 2016, including mediastinal lymph node biopsy in 27 patients, mediastinal primary lesions biopsy in 8, bronchial cystectomy in 3 and esophageal dissection in 2. Results The histological results were positive in 20 patients (73.1%) in mediastinal lymph node biopsy, including granulomatous mediastinitis in 14 and metastasis in 6 (non-small cell lung cancer in 4, Ewing sacoma in 1 and small cell lung cancer in 1) and reactive proliferation in 7 (26.9%). In mediastinal primary lesions biopsy, the accuracy rate of diagnosis was 100.0%. The pathologic results were malignant in all patients, including small cell lung cancer in 5, adenoid cystic carcinoma in 1, squamous carcinoma in 1 and adenocarcinoma in 1. In patients who received the bronchial cystectomy, no recurrence was found during at least 2 years follow-up. There was one patient with severe complication (innominate artery injury). Two patients suffered transient laryngeal recurrent nerve palsy with hoarseness and two patients incision secretion. Conclusion Video-assisted mediastinoscopic surgery is effective and safe and dissection should be careful in granulomatous mediastinitis to avoid the great vessel injures.
From December 2022 to January 2023, 4 lung transplant recipients (3 males and 1 female, aged 52-60 years, all received transplantation less than 1 year) were hospitalized in the Department of Thoracic Surgery of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University due to COVID-19 after surgery. The clinical manifestations were mostly characterized by elevated body temperature accompanied by shortness of breath, and indicators such as heart rate, oxygen saturation, and oxygenation index could reflect the severity of the condition. The therapy was timely adjusted to immunosuppressive drugs, upgraded oxygen therapy, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal therapy, prone ventilation, general treatment, and anticoagulant therapy, depending on the situation. Finally, 3 patients were cured and discharged from hospital, and 1 died.
ObjectiveTo explore the technical feasibility, safety, and short- and long-term efficacy of totally portal minimally invasive thoracoscopic diaphragmatic folding assisted by a stapler for the treatment of symptomatic diaphragmatic eventration in adults. MethodsAretrospective study was conducted on patients with symptomatic diaphragmatic eventration who underwent totally portal minimally invasive thoracoscopic stapler-assisted diaphragmatic folding from August 2021 to February 2025. Surgical time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative drainage volume, length of hospital stay, and complications were recorded. One month postoperatively, diaphragmatic position, lung function [forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC) ], and symptom relief were assessed, with extended follow-up to 36 months to monitor long-term efficacy. ResultsA total of 7 patients were included, comprising 3 (42.9%) males and 4 (57.1%) females, with an age range of 34 to 66 years and a mean age of (56.4±12.5) years. All surgeries were successfully completed without conversion to open thoracotomy or intraoperative complications. The average surgical time was (44.29±11.47) minutes, intraoperative blood loss was (25.71±33.09) mL, and the postoperative length of stay was (2.00±0.58) days. One-month follow-up showed that the diaphragmatic position returned to normal anatomical levels, FEV1 improved from preoperative (1.93±0.33) L to (2.36±0.47) L, and the effective rate of clinical symptom relief reached 100.0%. Long-term follow-up (36 months) showed: (1) Pain scores decreased from (1.14±0.38) points at one month postoperatively to (0.14±0.38) points at three months postoperatively, remaining at 0 points at six months and thereafter; (2) All patients had stable diaphragmatic positions with no recurrence; (3) FEV1/FVC was ≥80% at three months postoperatively, with three assessable patients at six months maintaining ≥80%; (4) SpO2 remained ≥95% throughout, with no hypoxic events. ConclusionTotally portal minimally invasive thoracoscopic stapler-assisted diaphragmatic folding is a minimally invasive procedure with rapid recovery, significantly improving lung function and stabilizing diaphragmatic anatomical position. Follow-up at 36 months showed complete pain relief, no recurrence, and long-term stability of lung function, making it a safe and effective surgical option for treating symptomatic diaphragmatic eventration in adults. Long-term efficacy still requires validation with a larger sample size.
ObjectiveTo compare and analyze the short-term efficacy of different surgical methods for Siewert type Ⅰ and type Ⅱ esophagogastric junction carcinoma.MethodsWe selected 82 patients who accepted radical resection of esophagogastric junction carcinoma from March 2015 to March 2018 in our department, including 53 males and 29 females, aged 48-72 (61±6) years. The patients were divided into four groups according to the surgical method: a left thoracotomy group (n=14), a laparoscopic left small thoracotomy group (n=33), a thoracoscopic Ivor-Lewis group (n=17), and a thoracoscopic McKeown group (n=18). Their clinical characteristics, operative situations, postoperative complications and survival rate were analyzed.ResultsAmong the four groups, the left thoracotomy group cost the shortest operation time, followed by laparoscopic left small thoracotomy group, thoracoscopic McKeown group and thoracoscopic Ivor-Lewis group. The thoracoscopic McKeown group/laparoscopic left small thoracotomy group had the least bleeding. The fewest lymph nodes were dissected in the left thoracotomy group and the most in the thoracoscopic McKeown group. The laparoscopic left small thoracotomy group had the lowest total complication rate and the incidence of pneumonia and arrhythmia among the four groups (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in survival rate among the four groups (P>0.05).ConclusionFor Siewert type Ⅰ and type Ⅱ esophagogastric junction carcinoma, thoracoscopy combined with laparoscopic radical resection is safe and reliable. Laparoscopic left small thoracotomy has the advantages of minimal invasiveness and complete lymph node dissection, especially for the patients with poor cardiopulmonary function, which will significantly shorten operation time and reduce postoperative complications, so it is worth to be popularized.
Surgery is a classic traditional method for the treatment of early-stage esophageal cancer, and it is also recognized as an effective first-choice method in the medical community. With the development of endoscopic technology, esophagus-preserving comprehensive treatment of esophageal cancer has almost the same or even better effects in some aspects in the treatment of early esophageal cancer than surgery. Many clinical guidelines have also recommended it as the first-choice treatment for early esophageal cancer. The room for surgical treatment of esophageal cancer has been further compressed. This article discusses the comprehensive treatment model of esophageal cancer from the perspective of thoracic surgery, aiming to find a new position of thoracic surgery in the treatment of esophageal cancer.
Objective To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of pure carbon dioxide (CO2) combined with a modified inflation-deflation technique for identifying the intersegmental plane during thoracoscopic segmentectomy. Methods A prospective study was conducted, enrolling 30 patients diagnosed with pulmonary nodules who underwent thoracoscopic anatomical segmentectomy at the Department of Thoracic Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, from March 2024 to March 2025. Patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups using a random number table: A pure oxygen group (O2 group, n=15, 8 females, 7 males, age 28-75 years) and a pure carbon dioxide group (CO2 group, n=15, 8 females, 7 males, age 37-69 years). All patients underwent preoperative three-dimensional computed tomography bronchovascular angiography to reconstruct pulmonary vessels, bronchi, and the virtual intersegmental plane. The time to identification of the ideal intersegmental plane was recorded intraoperatively, along with arterial blood gas measurements before lung inflation and at 5 and 15 minutes after lung inflation on the surgical side. Results The time to identify the intersegmental plane was significantly shorter in the CO2 group compared to the O2 group [(151.1±39.5) s vs. (998.7±78.9) s, P<0.001], and there were no significant fluctuations in intraoperative oxygen saturation in patients in the CO2 group. Furthermore, there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of operation duration, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative extubation time, total postoperative chest tube drainage, postoperative length of hospital stay, or postoperative complication rate (all P>0.05). Conclusion Pure CO2 combined with a modified inflation-deflation technique can rapidly, accurately, and clearly identify the intersegmental plane, and its safety is non-inferior to that of the pure O2 method, making it worthy of clinical promotion and application.
ObjectiveTo explore the method for establishing a pig left lung orthotopic transplantation model. MethodsDetailed surgical procedures, including animal anesthesia, tracheal intubation, donor lung retrieval, and recipient transplantation, were thoroughly reported. By examining the histological morphology and blood gas analysis of the transplanted lung 2 hours after reperfusion, the histological changes and function of the transplanted lung were assessed. ResultsThis method was applied to four male Yorkshire pigs with an average weight of (40.0 ±2.5) kg for left lung in situ transplantation, effectively simulating conditions relevant to human lung transplantation. Two hours after the transplantation, arterial blood gas analysis showed PaO2 was 155.4-178.6 mm Hg, PaCO2 was 53.1-62.4 mm Hg, and the oxygenation index was 310.8-357.2 mm Hg. Hematoxylin and eosin staining indicated a low degree of pulmonary edema and minimal cellular infiltration. ConclusionThe pig left lung orthotopic transplantation model possesses strong operability and stability. Researchers can replicate this model according to the described methods and further conduct basic research and explore clinical translational applications.