metabolic factors,― including hypoxemiaand a high normal theophylline level, had caused the seizure. One year later a bronchopleural fistula developed at the bronchial stump ofa prior upper lobectomy (performed for control of cavitary MA! infection ten years previously). Hospitalization ensued, and the patient was treated for lower lobe pneumonia with cefuroxime. An infectious disease consult...

Post-appendectomy faecal fistula is a rare surgical complication, associated with significant morbidity. Taenia saginata infestation is one of the most common cestode infestation in the gastrointestinal tract. It makes many complications as obstruction, perforation, anastomotic leakage or appendicular stump dehiscence. The objective of our study is to report a very rare case of post appendectom...

A best evidence topic in thoracic surgery was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was 'In pneumonectomy patients, is buttressing the bronchial stump associated with a reduced incidence of bronchopleural fistula?'. Fifty-seven papers were found using the reported search, of which 12 represented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The authors, journal...

A 77-year old male patient was admitted for the treatment of a thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) and primary lung cancer. A saccular aneurysm, 4.8 cm in diameter, located in the proximal segment of the descending thoracic aorta and a pulmonary tumour, 3 cm in diameter, located at the right lower lobe, with lymph node swelling, were detected simultaneously. First, a thoracic endovascular aortic rep...

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS To investigate and treat the late complications of using nickel-titanium alloy stents in laryngotracheal, bronchial, and esophageal stenosis patients who developed severe laryngotracheal stenosis (SLS). STUDY DESIGN Retrospective clinical study. METHODS Thirteen patients with SLS or tracheoesophageal fistula secondary to insertion of a nickel-titanium alloy stent for t...

We report two cases in which we were able to diagnose bronchopleural fistula through retrograde methylene blue instillation during bronchoscopy. In the first case, methylene blue was injected through an abdominal drain, followed by air instillation and detected in the left bronchial tree, demonstrating the presence of a fistula in the lingula's bronchus. In the second case, methylene blue was i...

Congenital tracheobiliary or bronchobiliary fistula is a rare developmental anomaly with a persistent communication between the biliary system and the trachea or bronchus. We report a case of a congenital tracheobiliary fistula and hypoplastic common hepatic duct associated with hypoplastic left heart syndrome in a 5-day old boy presenting with bilious endotracheal-tube secretions. The tracheob...

Enteric fistulae are a complex and technically frustrating complication of any bowel surgery. The constellation of associated non-specific symptoms often leads to extensive investigation and, in this case, suspicion of disease recurrence. A 71-year-old gentleman with a history of previous colorectal cancer presented with chronic diarrhoea, weight loss and left lower quadrant pain. Elective expl...

We read with interest the paper by Abolhoda et al. about a harvest technique for pedicled transposition of latissimus dorsi muscle, and congratulate the authors [1]. We are used to transpose intrathoracically the whole latissimus dorsi muscle to obliterate an infected apical or mid-thoracic dead space and we use the same technique as described by the authors but we have modified the harvest tec...

HYPOTHESIS Predictive factors of pancreatic fistula (PF) and the value of conservative management of PF following distal pancreatectomy (DP) are poorly known. DESIGN Case series. SETTING A university hospital referral center. PATIENTS From 1991 to 2003, 175 patients underwent DP with routine drainage of the pancreatic stump and postoperative repeated measures in drainage fluid. Pancreatic...