Surgery today
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Case Reports
Postoperative chylothorax following partial resection of mediastinal lymphangioma: report of a case.
We report herein the rare case of a 20-year-old man in whom a mediastinal lymphangioma was incidentally detected by a chest roentgenogram taken during a routine health examination. Both computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging confirmed a mass measuring 3 x 7 cm in diameter in the left anterior mediastinum. A thoracoscopic exploration was done, which confirmed a diagnosis of mediastinal lymphangioma, and 3 days later a sternotomy was performed. ⋯ Following the thoracoscopic procedure, a chylous discharge developed which was difficult to treat conservatively and he continued to drain 700-1,000 ml of chyle daily 2 weeks following the tumor extirpation. Therefore, a right thoracotomy with ligation of the thoracic duct was performed which resolved the chylothorax. The patient remains well without any regrowth of the regional tumor 9 months after his operation.
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Between 1985 and 1993, palliative surgery was performed on 13 pediatric patients who had complex cardiovascular anomalies associated with right isomerism. The patients included two neonates, ten infants, and one child who were divided into two groups according to whether or not a total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC) was present. Group 1 consisted of six patients with TAPVC and group 2 consisted of seven patients without TAPVC. ⋯ Resolving pulmonary venous obstruction without cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) may be preferable for infants, considering their difficult management. The systemic-pulmonary artery shunt should be of the low-calibrated type, especially if common atrioventricular valve regurgitation exists. If infants survive the surgery, they must be carefully followed up for a long period due to the risk of sudden death or infection.
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We report herein a new method of performing laparoscopic pyloromyotomy for infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis, using refined surgical techniques. The pyloric tumor was immobilized by grasping the first portion of the duodenum and the anterior wall of the stomach, and electrocoagulation was used prior to incising the pyloric tumor to minimize bleeding during the procedure. Although this technique has been applied in only two patients so far, we present the details herein. We believe that with technical and instrumental refinements, the speed and safety of laparoscopic pyloromyotomy will improve and it will become an alternative to open surgery in pediatric patients.
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We present herein the rare case of a young man who was found to have a solitary tumor in the right upper lobe of his lung by a routine chest X-ray. The tumor was removed by thoracoscopic surgery, and pathological examinations confirmed the diagnosis of a primary lymphangioma of the lung. A brief review of the available literature on this extremely rare type of benign tumor follows the case report.
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We report herein our experience with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for respiratory failure over a 3-year period. ECMO was employed in seven patients: in five for respiratory failure caused by adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), Goodpasture's syndrome, hypoxia after ventricular septal defect closure, interstitial pneumonia, or lung metastasis from choriocarcinoma; and in two for tracheal obstruction. Nafamostat mesilate was used as the main anticoagulant with a small amount of heparin. ⋯ The other three patients who were weaned from ECMO died of underlying diseases or complications 1-25 days after weaning. The complications which occurred during ECMO support were an abnormal electroencephalogram, multiple organ failure, and mediastinitis. Thus, we conclude that ECMO needs to be induced early to obtain a better outcome in patients with respiratory failure, and that it is particularly effective for transient airway obstruction.