Purpose: Pulmonary thromboendarterectomy (PTE) is a treatment option for patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). The present systematic review was performed to assess the safety and efficacy of PTE for CTEPH.
Methods: A systematic review was performed, and six electronic databases were searched for published studies from January 1999 to February 2010. All articles that presented morbidity and mortality data, survival data or preoperative and postoperative pulmonary hemodynamic indices were included. The primary outcome measures extracted were early morbidity and mortality, pulmonary hemodynamic and functional outcome indices prior to and after the operation, and survival data.
Results: Of the 654 publications retrieved, 19 relevant papers (total number of 2729 patients) representing the most recent and complete data set from each institute, were included for appraisal and data extraction. No randomized controlled trials or matched comparative studies were identified. Thirty-day mortality ranged from 1.3% to 24% (median 8%). Residual pulmonary hypertension was reported in 11%–35% of patients after PTE. Pulmonary artery pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance significantly decreased after PTE in all studies. Before PTE, 60%–100% of patients were in NYHA functional class III or IV. This percentage decreased to 0%–21% after PTE. Five-year survival ranged from 74% to 89%.
Conclusions: The current literature suggests that PTE for patients with CTEPH is associated with acceptable perioperative morbidity and mortality rates and improved hemodynamic indices and survival when viewed against the prognosis associated with historical controls using medical therapy.

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Objectives: In Japan, as of March 2010, only 13 hospitals were using the da Vinci system and only for selected cases. Few clinical robotic lung surgery has been done in Japan, and there are no standardized training programs, although some exist in the U.S. and are under consideration by the Japanese society for thoracic surgery. We have used the da Vinci S^® Surgical System for pneumonectomy and lymph node dissection in pigs. We report and review future possibilities and problems of robotic surgery, especially concerning education, training, safety management and ethical considerations for pneumonectomy and lymph node dissection in clinical practice.
Methods: The da Vinci^® system consists of a surgeon’s console connected to a patient-side cart, a manipulator unit with three instrument arms and a central arm to guide the endoscope. The surgeon, sitting at the console, triggers highly sensitive motion sensors that transmit the surgeon’s movements to the instrument arm.
Results: We experienced exactly the same sensation as when performing standard open thoracotomy. Visual recognition is 3-D, and the high manipulation potential allows free movement of the various accessory instruments, exceeding the capacity of a surgeon’s hands in video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) or even standard thoracotomy.
Conclusions: Robotic surgery achieves at least the same level of operation technique for pneumonectomy and lymph node dissection under standard open thoracotomy, and it seemed as safe and easily performed as conventional VATS. The training program using pigs was effective and holds promise as a system to train thoracic surgeons in robotic lung surgery.

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Purpose: We examined the influence of inflammatory cytokine levels on postoperative early recurrence in patients who underwent curative lung cancer surgery.
Methods: In 107 patients who underwent curative pulmonary resections for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) from November 2007 to June 2008, we measured serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels preoperatively, and on postoperative day (POD) 0, 1, and 2. Between July 2009 and August 2009, 1 year after the date of enrollment of the last patient, we investigated survival status of each patient and identified a group with recurrence.
Results: Among 107 patients, 29 patients developed recurrence with a mean follow-up of 18.1 months (range 14 to 21). P-stage was significantly more advanced in the recurrence group than in the non-recurrence group (p = 0.005). Serum IL-6 levels on POD 1 were significantly higher in the recurrence group than in the non-recurrence group (p = 0.007). In Cox's proportional hazards regression, P-stage and serum IL-6 levels on POD 1 were significant independent predicting factors for postoperative early recurrence (p = 0.006, p = 0.003).
Conclusions: The higher the serum IL-6 levels on POD 1, the higher the risk of early postoperative recurrence, even when curative pulmonary resection can be accomplished in lung cancer patients.

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Background: We planned to investigate the effect of preoperative short period intensive physical therapy on lung functions, gas-exchange, and capacity of diffusion, and ventilation-perfusion distribution of patients with non-small cell lung cancer.
Methods: Sixty patients with lung cancer, who were deemed operable, were randomly allocated into two groups. Intensive physical therapy was performed in patients in the study group before operation. Both groups received routine physical therapy after operation.
Results: There was no difference in pulmonary function tests between the two groups. Intensive physical therapy statistically significantly increased peripheral blood oxygen saturation. At least one complication was noted in 5 patients (16.7%) in the control group, and 2 (6.7%), in the study group. However, there was no statistically significant difference (p = 0,4). The hospital stay has been found to be statistically significantly shortened by intensive physical therapy (p <0.001). Ventilation-perfusion distribution was found to be significantly effected by intensive physical therapy. The change was prominent in the the contralateral lung (p <0.001).
Conclusions: Intensive physical therapy appeared to increase oxygen saturation, reduce hospital stay, and change the ventilation/perfusion distribution. It had a significant, positive effect on the exercise capacity of patients.

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Purpose: It is not clear whether women with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) live significantly longer than men. Thus, we conducted a meta-analysis of published studies to quantitatively compare NSCLC survival data between genders.
Materials and Methods: A MEDLINE Web search for computer-archived bibliographic data regarding overall survival differences between genders was performed. DerSimonian-Laird random effects analysis was used to estimate the pooled hazard ratio (HR).
Results: We selected 39 articles as appropriate data sources, involving 86 800 patients including 32 701 women and 54 099 men. Combined HRs for women vs. men in studies using univariate and multivariate analyses respectively were 0.79 (p <0.0001) and 0.78 (p <0.0001). Pooled HRs for 3 study subgroups having (1) fewer than 30% stage I cases, (2) fewer than 50% adenocarcinoma cases, and (3) statistical adjustment for smoking status all indicated the survival advantage of women.
Conclusion: This meta-analysis of published data concerning NSCLC patients indicated significantly better survival for women.

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Background: Tissue engineering with cell seeded biodegradable material has attracted attention as a novel means of treating the severely impaired heart. Here, we consider optimal preparation of a durable biograft using dynamic and static cultures.
Methods: Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) derived from the rat aorta were seeded onto biodegradable material P (LA/CL) (poly-L-lactide-ε-caprolactone copolymer) and cultured as follows: a) Static culture (n = 11), b) dynamic culture (n = 12), c) 0 h pre-seeding (n = 12), d) 24 h pre-seeding (n = 5) and e) 1 week pre-seeding (n = 12). Dynamic culture: Cells were cultured in spinner flasks. Pre-seeding: Static cell seeding and culture before dynamic culture. Evaluation: The conditions of the P (LA/CL) in the five groups were evaluated as cell proliferation and by histological studies.
Results: VSMCs proliferated both in and on the biodegradable materials. The quality of the dynamic culture cell with pre-seeding increased. Although the duration of pre-seeding exerted no significantly different effects, cell attachment and proliferation were widely scattered in the 0 h pre-seeding group, whereas cells proliferating on the front of the scaffold obstructed proliferation inside the biodegradable material in the 1 week pre-seeding group.
Conclusions: Dynamic cell culture with 24 h pre-seeding is effective for constructing ideal biografts.

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Background: Various angiotensin II receptor blockers are widely used for the treatment of hypertension in recent years. The results of large-scale clinical studies have shown that they have various efficacies: not only hypotensive effects but also organ protective effects. In this study, the effects of a change-over from candesartan to olmesartan on renin-angiotensin-aldsterone system, cardiomegaly and peripheral circulation were studied.
Methods: Participants enrolled in this trial were outpatients with essential hypertension after cardiac surgery who had received candesartan for more than one year. Fifty-six patients switched from candesartan to olmesartan. The primary endpoints were 1) renin activity, angiotensin II, aldosterone, and 2) left ventricular mass index (LVMI).
Results: It was clear that angiotensin II and aldosterone are decreased by the potent hypotensive effects of olmesartan in a change-over from candesartan to olmesartan. Since LVMI and BNP were decreased, inhibitory effects on myocardial hypertrophy were also confirmed.
Conclusion: In the present study, left ventricular hypertrophy and on arterial compliance were inhibited by a decrease in angiotensin II and aldosterone due to the change-over to olmesartan. In the future, protective effects on organs will be clarified by long-term observations.

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A 46-year-old woman was referred to our hospital because of back pain and an abnormality on chest imaging. Chest computed tomography showed a well-delineated tumor in the left paravertebral space. Histological analysis of the resected tumor revealed perivascular pseudorosettes, and immunoreactivity for glial fibrillary acidic protein established the diagnosis of ependymoma. A few cases have been reported in the ovary, broad ligament, sacrococcygeal region, lungs, and mediastinum, but the pathogenesis has not yet been clarified. Female predominance in these tumors and organogenesis of the sites may suggest a key to the pathogenesis.

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Acute Necrotizing mediastinitis (ANM) is a lethal disease which without antibiotic therapy and surgical Intervention can lead to about 40% mortality. With the development of imaging technology, spiral computed tomography (CT) scanning and shortening of the time of diagnosis and surgery, the prognosis of these patients is excellently improved. This study describes the clinical presentation, management and outcome of 4 patients (mean age: 35 years) with ANM. All patients were operated on by a trans-cervical approach, and only one patient was operated on by a trans-thoracic one. After surgery, patients were transferred to the intensive care unit and underwent daily washing and debridement with antibiotic treatments. Odontogenic infection (2 cases), pharyngeal perforation and cervical esophageal perforation were the causes of the ANM. Infection of cervical space (perivisceral spaces) and superior Mediastinum were found in all patients, and Infection below the carina was found in two. All patients were discharged with a good, general condition after an average of 24 days. Early diagnosis of ANM with clinical presentation and on-time CT scanning, early drainage and careful post operation care are very important in the management of patients with ANM and can improve the outcome of trans-cervical drainage to an acceptable technique.

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Various anatomical variants in pulmonary veins can have a serious effect on patients undergoing lung surgery. We present a case of a patient with an unusual pulmonary vein variation. Preoperative review of the patient’s three-dimensional 64-row multidetector computed tomography imaging allowed us precise simulation and good orientation of the patient’s vascular variant anatomy during surgery. Upper lobectomy through thoracoscopic approach was performed successfully in the case where the middle lobe vein might have been divided without preoperative anatomical evaluation by 3D CT images.

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Hamartoma is rarely found to be localized in the trachea. In the literature, only about ten cases have been reported. A 52-year-old male who was being treated for asthma for 15 years applied to our hospital with a progressive dyspnea complaint. During his physical examination, stridor was heard, after which a computed tomography of his chest revealed a tracheal mass. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy revealed a mass which obstructed 80% of the tracheal lumen attached to the posterior tracheal wall with a broad base. The mass was removed surgically with segmentary resection of the trachea. histopathological examination of the lesion indicated that it was a hamartoma. Hamartomas can localize in the trachea very rarely, causing serious obstruction.

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A 44-year-old woman underwent surgery for lung cancer. Although preoperative computed tomography did not reveal a tiny nodule, pathological examination of the background lung showed that type II pneumocyte-like tumor cells grew papillary in an area of approximately 2.3 × 1.2 mm. This lesion exhibited hemorrhage, hemosiderosis, calcification, and varying degrees of fibrosis, leading to the diagnosis of sclerosing hemangioma. This is the first reported case of microscopic sclerosing hemangioma undetectable by chest computed tomography.

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Parathyroid cysts rarely cause hyperparathyroidism. In addition, they rarely occur in the thymus. We report a 56-year-old woman with hypertension on telmisartan and hydrochlorothiazide, who developed symptomatic hypercalcemia for a month. Initial serum calcium was 15.6 mg/dL, together with inappropriately elevated intact PTH at 437 pg/mL. Coincidentally, an anterior mediastinal mass on chest imaging was found. Biopsy of the mass revealed parathyroid tissue. She was treated sequentially with saline rehydration and frusemide calciuresis, intravenous pamidronate and calcitonin, which lowered her calcium to 11.1 mg/dL. Normocalcemia was finally achieved following surgical extirpation of the mass. Histology confirmed an intrathymic parathyroid cyst. Definitive treatment by resection of the mass is potentially curative.

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With the use of the superior transseptal approach during mitral valve surgery, good exposure of the mitral valve can be achieved with simple traction sutures, which minimize the risk of deformation of the mitral valve. For this reason, we routinely perform mitral valvoplasty using the superior transseptal approach; however, we, occasionally encounter cases that develop postoperative atrial dysrhythmia. We have therefore, devised a very simple technique for preservation of the sinus node artery in the superior transseptal approach, which is effective for reducing the incidence of postoperative sinus node dysfunction. In this technique, during incision of the dome of the left atrium, the sinus node artery is carefully dissected and preserved.

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A 72-year-old man presented with a papillary fibroelastoma on the non-coronary cusp of the aortic valve. He was asymptomatic, with a history of hypertension and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. Echocardiography revealed a mobile, round mass (13 × 15 mm) on the non-coronary cusp of the aortic valve. Scanning with 320-slice multi-detector row computed tomography (MDCT) also revealed a mass on the non-coronary cusp of the aortic valve. The tumor was subsequently excised from the aortic valve. In this case, the MDCT images were extremely clear and provided useful information like that obtained with echocardiography.

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Discrete subaortic stenosis (DSS) is an uncommon form of left ventricular outflow tract obstruction especially in adulthood. Moreover, aortic regurgitation (AR), which is a common sequence of DSS, requiring surgical correction is extremely rare. We report the case of a 33-year old man who had severe DSS accompanied with moderate aortic insufficiency. He underwent successful surgery including relief of DSS and aortic valve repair. Although careful follow-up is mandatory for recurrent AR and DSS, our approach was thought to be feasible for a young adult patient with DSS complicated with AR.

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A 76-year-old female, with a history of asthma and tracheal bronchitis, presented with a non-ST elevation, myocardial infarction. Chest x-ray on admission showed a widened mediastinum, which was further evaluated with a computed tomography (CT) scan. It disclosed a giant substernal goiter compressing the trachea and the ascending aorta. Cardiac catheterization showed significant coronary disease unsuitable for percutaneous intervention; thus, the patient was scheduled for coronary artery bypass grafting. Single stage thyroidectomy immediately followed by coronary artery bypass was performed. After surgery, her upper airway symptoms were improved, and no cardiac events were noted. Collaboration between otolaryngology and thoracic surgery teams contributed to good outcomes for this patient with substernal goiter and severe cardiac disease.

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Infectious endocarditis patients occasionally need emergency cardiac surgery even if they have a tracheostoma. However, a median full-sternotomy approach carries increased risk for sternal infection and lethal mediastinitis in cardiac surgery for patients with tracheostomas. We successfully performed valve replacement procedures using a lower partial median sternotomy approach in 6 infectious endocarditis patients with tracheostomas. There were neither operative deaths nor complications related to wound infection in these cases. The partial sternotomy approach represents a safe alternative in cardiac surgery for acute infectious endocarditis patients with tracheostomas who need emergent surgery.

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Aortocaval fistula is a rare but life-threatening complication of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm. We present a case of an aortocaval fistula with acute right heart failure. The condition was accurately diagnosed before operation by physical examination, echo, and especially by computed tomography (CT), thereby enabling proper planning of the operative strategy. At surgery, not only the infrarenal aorta and common iliac arteries on both sides but the inferior vena cava and iliac veins on both sides were also controlled to avoid massive venous bleeding through the fistula. Aortocaval fistula repair was easy, and conventional bifurcated Dacron graft replacement for abdominal aortic aneurysm was successfully performed. Innovative CT images give us prompt preoperative diagnoses and elaborate surgical strategies.

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