1/14. An unusual iatrogenic cause of right coronary air embolism.A 62-year-old woman undergoing redo mitral valve replacement was noted to have persistent intracardiac air following standard deairing procedures. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) identified air bubbles entering the left atrium from the right superior pulmonary vein. Exploration of the pleural cavity revealed a fistula between the pulmonary parenchyma and the right superior pulmonary vein caused by the atriotomy closure suture transfixing the edge of the lung, which was repaired with immediate disappearance of the air emboli. This demonstrates that transesophageal echocardiography is an invaluable aid to ensuring complete deairing after open heart procedures.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = cavity (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/14. A case of eosinophilic pleural effusion induced by pancreatothoracic fistula.A 49-year-old man was admitted for evaluation of a left pleural effusion. Thoracenthesis yielded a hemorrhagic pleural effusion with a high percentage of eosinophils (15.9%). Although there were no significant abdominal signs, serological examinations demonstrated a marked increase of pancreatic enzyme activity. Moreover, abdominal CT demonstrated cystic changes between the tail of the pancreas and the spleen. Accordingly ERP was performed under pressure, and contrast medium draining from the pancreas was observed. Pancreatic pleural effusion in this patient consisted of pancreatic juice retained in the thoracic cavity, which resulted from intrapancreatic fistulation connecting to the thoracic cavity due to a pancreatic cyst caused by chronic pancreatitis. The present report indicates that we should investigate the retention of eosinophilic pleural effusion considering not only the possibility of thoracic disease, but also the possibility of a pleural effusion derived from abdominal diseases.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2keywords = cavity (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/14. Left hepatic duct injury and thoracobiliary fistula after abdominal blunt trauma.Thoracobiliary fistula after blunt hepatic trauma is rare. We report a case of pleurobiliary fistula after a blunt hepatic trauma leading to a left hepatic lobe laceration together with a left hepatic duct injury. The management of this traumatic lesion is discussed and related to the existing literature data. The diagnosis of traumatic thoracobiliary fistula rests upon clinical suspicion in the setting of a persistent right pleural effusion. Demonstration of the presence of bile in the pleural cavity by thoracocentesis is considered a proof of pleural biliary fistula. We think that laparotomy is an appropriate route for the treatment of pleurobiliary fistulas. However, when a bronchobiliary fistula is suspected, the patient should be treated with thoracotomy and may require pulmonary resection to remove the fistulous tracts.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = cavity (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/14. Nasal fistula associated with dental infection: a report of a case.Most clinicians have come across a patient with difficult symptoms to diagnose. Often confusion occurs between odontogenic and nonodontogenic causes of sinus discomfort. On many occasions, sinus pain is due to purely dental causes, whereas in other situations dental pain is reported when the sinuses are infected. Due to the intimate association between the roots of the maxillary teeth and the floor of the nasal cavity and maxillary sinuses, diagnosis may be difficult. The following is a case report of a nasal fistula that developed from an abscessed maxillary central incisor.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = cavity (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/14. Subarachnoid-pleural fistula treated with noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation. Case report.The authors describe the case of a 24-year-old man who underwent an L-1 corpectomy for spinal decompression and stabilization following an injury that caused an L-1 burst fracture. Postoperatively, an accumulation of spinal fluid developed in the pleural space, which was refractory to 1 week of thoracostomy tube drainage and lumbar cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) diversion. The authors then initiated a regimen of positive-pressure ventilation in which a bilevel positive airway pressure (PAP) mask was used. After 5 days, the CSF collection in the pleural space resolved. Use of a bilevel PAP mask represents a safe, noninvasive method of reducing the negative intrathoracic pressure that promotes CSF leakage into the pleural cavity and may be a useful adjunct in the treatment of subarachnoid-pleural fistula.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = cavity (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/14. Management of postpneumonectomy bronchopleural-cutaneous fistula with a single free flap.A variety of local flaps have been described for chest wall and bronchopleural fistula reconstruction. When local options cannot be used because of previous surgery, trauma, radiation, or body habitus, free flaps become an acceptable option. The authors report a case of persistent bronchopleural-cutaneous fistula treated with a free latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flap that obliterated the right chest cavity, closed the site of empyema drainage, and aided healing of a bronchopleural fistula. Surgical technique including anastomosis to the innominate vein is described.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = cavity (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/14. empyema necessitatis into the retroperitoneal space.empyema necessitatis is a rare complication of tuberculous empyema. We present a very rare case of empyema necessitatis into the retroperitoneal space through the diaphragm. The fistula between the thoracic empyema cavity and the retroperitoneal abscess was clearly identified by magnetic resonance imaging.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = cavity (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/14. Pancreatic pleural effusion with a pancreaticopleural fistula diagnosed by magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography and cured by somatostatin analogue treatment.A 69-year-old man with chronic alcoholic pancreatitis developed a left-sided massive pleural effusion. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography clearly demonstrated the pancreatic cyst and the fistula connecting the cyst with the left pleural cavity, resulting in the diagnosis of pancreatic pleural effusion with a pancreaticopleural fistula. Conservative somatostatin analogue treatment completely eradicated the pancreatic pleural effusion and closed the pancreaticopleural fistula.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = cavity (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/14. empyema resulting from a true colopleural fistula complicating a perforated sigmoid diverticulum.Empyemas developing after traumatic rupture of intraabdominal organs have been previously reported. We report a case of a true nontraumatic colopleural fistula following surgery for spontaneous rupture of a sigmoid diverticulum. The diagnosis was suspected by the presence of an air-containing tract seen in a computerized tomogram of chest and abdomen and was established with a contrast study. The empyema cavity was initially drained, followed by a laparotomy and fistulectomy with primary large bowel anastomosis and loop ileostomy. Although rare, colopleural fistulas present a diagnostic challenge and delayed management can lead to increased morbidity.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = cavity (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/14. Transposition of modified latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flap in the treatment of persistent bronchopleural fistula after posterolateral incision.The condition of a 51-year-old man was complicated with empyema and bronchopleural fistula (BPF) after left upper lobectomy and thoracoplasty for pulmonary aspergillosis. On the postoperative day (POD) 12, the opened bronchial stump was directly closed and covered with a pedicled pectoralis major muscle flap. On POD 66, an open-window thoracostomy was done, because of empyema with pseudomonas aeruginosa Two years later, we could fill the empyema cavity, and close the multiple BPFs with the transposition of a modified pedicled musculocutaneous (MC) flap and the additional thoracoplasty to gain good quality of life. Although the MC flap was a proximal part of the latissimus dorsi muscle, which was dissected along the posterolateral incision of the first operation, it could be successfully transplanted to cover the BPFs in the open-window. In some patients with a small open-window on the upper anterior chest wall, the pedicled proximal latissimus dorsi MC flap may be very useful for treating persistent BPFs even after a standard posterolateral incision.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = cavity (Clic here for more details about this article) |
| | Next -> |