Annals of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery : official journal of the Association of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeons of Asia
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Ann Thorac Cardiovasc Surg · Jan 2014
Case ReportsFour cases of invasive anterior mediastinal tumors definitively diagnosed by the chamberlain procedure.
Percutaneous needle biopsy, commonly used for a definitive diagnosis of anterior mediastinal tumors, is sometimes inconclusive because of the small size of the biopsy specimens and the histologic heterogeneity of the tumors. We herein report 4 cases of invasive anterior mediastinal tumors, in which the definitive diagnosis was made using the Chamberlain procedure. [Case 1] A 33-year-old man was found to have an anterior mediastinal tumor on chest X-ray and computed tomography (CT). The tumor was histologically diagnosed as thymic carcinoma (squamous cell carcinoma) using the Chamberlain procedure. ⋯ This was followed by a decrease in the tumor size and avoidance of invasive surgery. The patient remains well, 15 months after the biopsy. [Conclusion] The Chamberlain procedure proved useful for definitive diagnosis in all 4 cases of invasive anterior mediastinal tumors. We recommend the Chamberlain procedure for biopsy since it enables safe, rapid, and successful collection of tissue samples.
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Ann Thorac Cardiovasc Surg · Jan 2014
Case ReportsComplex regional pain syndrome following the Nuss procedure for severe pectus excavatum.
Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is not an uncommon complication after surgery, but has never been reported after the Nuss procedure for repairing pectus excavatum. A 22-year-old man with pectus excavatum had type I CRPS that developed 2 weeks after the Nuss procedure. ⋯ Following intensive rehabilitation, the degree of pain, weakness and edema were ameliorated. He recovered 6 months after surgery and the pectus bars were removed uneventfully 3 years after the repair.
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Ann Thorac Cardiovasc Surg · Jan 2014
Case ReportsPulmonary and pleural metastases from benign meningeal meningioma: a case report.
Meningiomas are generally benign tumors, but rarely metastasize outside of the central nervous system. A 25-year-old female was admitted to our institute because of an abnormal shadow on her chest x-ray. A computed tomography (CT) scan showed a 3-cm, well- circumscribed mass in the right lower lobe of the lung. ⋯ During the 21 years since the first operation, we performed three times of pulmonary and pleural metastasectomies and two times of resection of intracranial local recurrences. All of those tumors were meningothelial meningioma without malignant change. The patient is alive without metastasis after the last resection of metastatic tumors.
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Ann Thorac Cardiovasc Surg · Jan 2014
Case ReportsSpinal epidural hematoma during anticoagulant therapy for pulmonary embolism: postoperative complications in a patient with lung cancer.
Spinal epidural hematoma (SEH) is rare but causes neurological disorders. Rapid diagnosis and treatment maximize neurological recovery. We present the case of SEH after lung cancer surgery under epidural and general anesthesia. ⋯ Emergency decompression laminectomy and hematoma evacuation were performed. After 2.5 months of rehabilitation, he regained almost all motor function and sensation. Late after epidural anesthesia, attention should be paid to possible SEH even though appropriate anticoagulant therapy had been initiated after epidural catheter removal.
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Ann Thorac Cardiovasc Surg · Jan 2014
Mitral valve plasty for idiopathic rupture of mitral valve posterior chordae in infants.
Idiopathic mitral valve chordal rupture is rare among infants. Once it has occurred, acute heart failure progresses, and emergency surgical repair is necessary in most cases. Our surgical experience with idiopathic mitral valve chordal rupture is reported. ⋯ Mitral valve plasty was performed for idiopathic mitral valve chordal rupture in infants. The surgical procedures were the same as for adult cases and achieved satisfactory results.