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Query: UMLS:C0729233 (Thoracic)
 6,478 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Acute dissection is a uniquely complex, relatively common, and frequently lethal aortic catastrophe. Historically, surgical treatment has been reserved for cases with complications including rupture; the results have been less than optimal because of excessive morbidity and mortality. This is the main reason why conservative management emerged as the standard of care for management of acute type B aortic dissection (TBAD). While more patients would appear to survive with a conservative treatment strategy, the outcome in terms of 30-day mortality (20%) and occurrence of late complications - such as enlarging aneurysms of the thoracic false lumen (30-40%) - leaves (again) much to be desired. Stent-graft endovascular repair has emerged as a very promising, less invasive treatment option. These devices, when used appropriately, can achieve the important therapeutic goals of entry-site coverage, depressurization of the false lumen, and expansion of the compressed true lumen - overcoming ischemic (malperfusion) manifestations. The early results of stent-graft repair of TBAD are encouraging, and even exciting, but much more work needs to be done in various critical areas surrounding this condition. Thoracic endograft technology has lagged behind its abdominal counterpart. The design of acute dissection-specific devices is imperative, reflecting the significant differences between TBAD and degenerative thoracic aortic aneurysm disease. Needs for this and other important developments notwithstanding, it is generally acknowledged that stent-graft intervention does represent an important advance in the treatment of patients with TBAD. Well-designed, controlled clinical trials will be necessary to elucidate the relative value of several endovascular thoracic strategies.
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PMID:Endograft repair of acute aortic dissection. Promises and challenges. 1579 89

The evaluation of patients with suspected spine trauma is controversial. This document addresses several pertinent issues: (1) which patients need imaging, (2) how much imaging is necessary, and (3) exactly what sort of imaging is to be performed. This subject is important, because conservative estimates indicate that more than 1 million blunt trauma patients, who have the potential for sustaining spine injuries, are seen annually in emergency departments in the United States. Adult patients who satisfy any of several "low-risk" criteria for cervical spine injury need no imaging. Patients who do not fall into this category should undergo thin-section computed tomographic examinations that includes sagittal and coronal multiplanar reconstructed images. For those patients who cannot be examined using computed tomography, 3-view radiographic examinations of the cervical vertebrae may be performed to provide preliminary assessments of the likelihood of injury until computed tomography can be performed. Thoracic and lumbar computed tomographic images may be obtained from data collected for thorax-abdomen-pelvis studies. Radiography is recommended for children under 14 years of age. Reconstructed computed tomographic images may be used from thorax-abdomen-pelvis studies of children, if they have been obtained. Magnetic resonance imaging should be the primary modality for evaluating possible spinal cord injury or compression as well as ligamentous injuries in acute cervical spine trauma. Flexion and extension radiography is best reserved for follow-up of symptomatic patients, after neck pain has subsided.
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PMID:ACR Appropriateness Criteria on suspected spine trauma. 1796

Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) is the second most common cause of chronic cough in immunocompetent patients who are nonsmokers, not on angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors and have normal chest radiographs. Identification of GER in chronic cough patients can be difficult; most patients with GER-related cough have no esophageal symptoms and no esophageal test is adequate to make this diagnosis. Post-hoc analysis of four prospective intervention trials has identified a clinical patient profile that can predict the presence of GER-related cough 91% of the time. Clinical practice guidelines from the American College of Chest Physicians and the British Thoracic Society recommend initiating an initial empiric GER therapy trial, with esophageal testing being reserved for nonresponders. The empiric trial should include conservative measures and PPIs twice daily for 3 months. Selected patients who have dysphagia might benefit from the addition of a prokinetic agent. Esophageal manometry and pH testing with impedance monitoring (if available) should be performed in nonresponders while they are on therapy. It can take more than 50 days for cough to respond to medical GER therapy. Surgical fundoplication might be helpful in very carefully selected patients. Careful evaluation and treatment resolves cough in approximately 80% of patients with GER-related cough.
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PMID:Therapy Insight: treatment of gastroesophageal reflux in adults with chronic cough. 1797 17

Small cell lung cancer is an aggressive form of lung cancer with a poor prognosis. Most patients present with extensive stage of the disease. To reduce the high risk of brain metastases, prophylactic cranial irradiation has been shown to be very effective. Prophylactic cranial irradiation should now routinely be used for all patients who have responded to chemotherapy. Thoracic radiotherapy is often reserved for palliation. However, the high incidence of residual disease after chemotherapy and the reported beneficial effect of radiotherapy in a single study has led to two clinical trials which will soon open and address the question whether thoracic radiotherapy also has a role in responding patients with extensive stage small cell lung cancer.
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PMID:Radiotherapy for extensive stage small cell lung cancer. 1995 6

Atheroembolic disease typically presents with isolated lower extremity digital ischemia. Treatment traditionally includes optimization of medical management, with open surgery reserved for complicated or recurrent embolic events. We present a novel endovascular approach for treatment of complicated thoracic aortic atherosclerotic disease incidentally discovered in a 63-year-old female. The patient demonstrated visceral artery embolization from a mobile 2.6 cm atherosclerotic plaque despite maximal medical therapy. Thoracic aortic stent graft placement successfully excluded the atheroma and prevented further embolization. This case demonstrates a unique treatment option for complicated thoracic aortic atheroembolic disease utilizing a minimally invasive endovascular approach.
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PMID:Endovascular treatment of massive thoracic aortic thrombus and associated ruptured atheroma. 2003 9

Penetrating and blunt force mechanisms frequently result in thoracic trauma. Thoracic injuries cover the spectrum from trivial to lethal, and more than half are associated with head, abdomen or extremity trauma. Fortunately over eighty percent of injuries can be managed non-operatively utilizing tube thoracostomy, appropriate analgesia and aggressive respiratory therapy. Patients requiring emergency thoracotomy are either in shock or have life threatening injuries and, as expected, have significant mortality and morbidity. Injury to the thorax directly accounts for approximately 25% of trauma related mortality and is a contributing factor in another 25%. Early mortality results from haemorrhage, catastrophic injury or associated head or abdominal trauma. Not unexpectedly, late deaths are related to sepsis and organ failure. Blunt injury to the thorax most commonly results from motor vehicle collisions, with motorcycle accidents, pedestrians struck and falls next in frequency. Stab wound and gunshot wounds comprise the vast majority of penetrating injuries. In general the mortality from penetrating injury is higher and related to vascular injury and shock. Mortality from blunt trauma often results from abdominal and, especially, head injury. Rapid assessment and interventions, such as tube thoracostomy and airway control, can be life saving. The patient's haemodynamic status drives early treatment, often necessitating emergency surgery. Detailed imaging studies are reserved for haemodynamically stable patients. The evaluation and treatment of specific thoracic injuries will be discussed, as well as some general principles in treating thoracic trauma.
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PMID:The diagnosis and treatment of non-cardiac thoracic trauma. 2043 98

Lung transplantation is a life-saving treatment option in carefully selected patients with end-stage lung disease. Life expectancy after this form of treatment has progressively increased with a current survival of 90% after 1 year, 70% after 5 years, and 50% after 10 years in experienced centers. Apart from a survival benefit, this treatment aims to improve the quality of life. Bilateral lung transplantation is the type of operation that is performed most frequently because of superior survival results, especially when chronic rejection develops. Single lung transplantation is now reserved for older patients with pulmonary fibrosis. Heart-lung transplantation is rarely done, only in patients with Eisenmenger's syndrome or complex congenital heart disease. Belgium is one of the world leaders in terms of number of deceased organ donors with a lung recovery rate of about 35%. With a total of 8.3 lung transplants per million population, Belgium is currently the number 1 in the world. The procedure nowadays is performed in 4 University Hospitals (UA-KUL-ULB-UCL) in the country. Between 1983 and 2009, nearly 1000 proedures were performed. The most common indication was emphysema, followed by cystic fibrosis, pulmonary fibrosis, pulmonary arterial hypertension, and Eisenmenger's syndrome. Further application of this treatment option is hampered by several problems such as donor organ shortage, primary graft dysfunction, chronic rejection presenting as bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome, and side effect of chronic immunosuppression. In the Laboratory for Experimental Thoracic Surgery and the Laboratory for Pneumology at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, intensive research is done by our group looking for new methods to increase the lung donor pool and to prevent and to treat chronic rejection.
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PMID:Lung transplantation for respiratory failure; Belgium amongst the world leaders. 2227 95

Chylothorax is an unusual but serious complication of thoracic surgical procedures, and may carry considerable morbidity if not addressed in a timely fashion. Thoracic surgeons should be able to promptly diagnose this complication, and understand the implications of prolonged chyle loss to the patient. Conservative measures are often successful; direct intervention with percutaneous embolization of the cisterna chyli or thoracoscopic ligation is reserved for refractory cases. Some controversy exists regarding the timing of reintervention to limit the accumulated chyle loss. Prophylactic thoracic duct ligation has been examined but to date does not seem to reduce the incidence of chylothorax.
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PMID:Postoperative Chylothorax. 2651 52

Because of early diagnosis, strict imaging follow-up, and advances in medical and surgical management, life expectancy of Marfan patients has dramatically improved since the 1970s. Although disease of the root and ascending aorta are more frequent in patients with connective tissue disorders, a subset of patients present with diffuse disease that might involve any portion of the thoracoabdominal aorta. Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) has gained widespread acceptance for the treatment of different pathologies of the descending aorta. In contrast, TEVAR in patients with connective tissue disorders is associated with a high risk of early and mid-term complications and reinterventions. Currently, a consensus of experts recommend that an open approach should be reserved for use in acceptable risk candidates with connective tissue disorders. TEVAR should be considered solely in patients in a complex repeat surgical setting or in patients judged to have prohibitive open surgical risk. Finally, as a bridge to a definite open repair, TEVAR might be life-saving in patients with connective tissue disorders who present with exsanguination or severe malperfusion. Future developments in stent-graft technology might decrease stent-graft-related complications in patients with connective tissue disorders, although securing a device with radial force in a fragile aorta in the long-term will be challenging.
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PMID:Should Endovascular Therapy Be Considered for Patients With Connective Tissue Disorder? 2657 92

Primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma (PMBL) is a lymphoma occurring in the anterior mediastinum starting from the cells B of the thymique medullary zone. This is a rare entity characterized by epidemiological, clinical and evolutionary peculiarities as well as by pathological and immunohistochemical peculiarities. We report a case series of 5 patients with diagnosed PMBL hospitalized in Pulmonology Department of Ibn Sina Hospital between January 2012 and May 2016. The average age was 34 years, the median of consultation time was 2 months. Reported symptoms were dyspnea, chest pain, dry cough; two patients suffered from superior vena cava syndrome. LDH level was high in 4 patients. Thoracic imaging showed an anterior mediastinal tissue processing in 5 patients. Histological diagnosis was based on ultrasound-guided transparietal puncture biopsy in 5 patients. The contribution of immunohistochemistry was decisive in all cases. Patients were sent to the National Institute of Oncology for therapeutic management. PMBL prognosis is reserved, it most commonly occurs in young women, which increases the need of aggressive therapy to improve survival rate.
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PMID:[Primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma in women: about five cases]. 2779 78


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