Seminars in thoracic and cardiovascular surgery
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Semin. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Jan 2013
ReviewOpen aortic arch repair: state-of-the-art and future perspectives.
Surgical procedures for the treatment of complex aortic arch pathology remain among the most challenging cardiovascular operations, incurring considerable risk for death and stroke. The purpose of this article is to describe the evolution of our approach to open repair of the aortic arch. ⋯ Modifications in surgical technique, including arch reconstruction with the trifurcated graft, and the classical and frozen elephant trunk techniques have simplified the conduct of the operation. Experimental and clinical research supporting the evolution of our approach is discussed in this paper.
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Semin. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Jan 2013
ReviewSurgical treatment of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a unique primary myocardial disease characterized by unexplained left ventricular hypertrophy in absence of another etiology. One of the key features is the presence of systolic anterior motion of the anterior leaflet of the mitral valve which causes left ventricular outflow tract obstruction with various degrees of mitral valve regurgitation. Surgical septal myectomy is the preferred treatment of choice if medical treatment is unsuccessful or intolerable. We summarize in this review the available treatment options for HCM.
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Semin. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Jan 2013
ReviewCurrent readings: sublobar resection for non-small-cell lung cancer.
The Lung Cancer Study Group consensus recommending lobectomy for stage I non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to reduce local recurrence associated with sublobar resections has directed NSCLC care since its 1995 publication. However, enhancements in imaging technology and in our understanding of the molecular biology of NSCLC over the past 2 decades have produced large cohorts of patients with smaller, better staged, and more indolent tumors than evaluated by the Lung Cancer Study Group. Numerous single-institution trials have demonstrated that in well-selected patients, sublobar resection can afford comparable survival and recurrence rates with lobectomy with a more favorable risk profile. This review of recent literature will focus on 2 separate issues with regard to the use of sublobar resections for stage I NSCLC: (1) a comparison to nonoperative ablative therapies in medically unfit patients, and (2) identifying in which subset of the noncompromised standard-risk population, sublobar resections provide equivalent outcome to lobectomy.
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Semin. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Jan 2013
ReviewCurrent readings: improvements in intensity-modulated radiation therapy for malignant pleural mesothelioma.
The treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma with radiation therapy has always been a technical challenge. Early experience with intensity-modulated radiation therapy demonstrated troubling toxicity. Recent reports from institutions have demonstrated that with greater experience, intensity-modulated radiation therapy can be delivered safely, both in the setting of pneumonectomy or pleurectomy. ⋯ In the setting of 2 intact lungs, the mean lung dose can be as high as 20 Gy. Expected rates of grade 3 or worse radiation pneumonitis are 12%-20%. The rates of fatal pneumonitis are approximately 3%-8% in these studies, which demonstrate the considerable toxicity of treatment, even with improved technique.