BackgroundThe role of totally implantable central venous port (TICVP) system is increasing. Implantation performed by radiologist with ultrasound-guided access of vein and fluoroscope-guided positioning of catheter is widely accepted nowadays. In this article, we summarized our experience of TICVP system by surgeon and present the success and complication rate of this surgical method.Materials and MethodsBetween March 2009 and December 2010, 245 ports were implanted in 242 patients by surgeon. These procedures were performed with one small skin incision and subcutaneous puncture of subclavian vein. Patient's profiles, indications of port system, early and delayed complications, and implanted period were evaluated.ResultsThere were 82 men and 160 women with mean age of 55.74. Port system was implanted on right chest in 203, and left chest in 42 patients. There was no intraoperative complication. Early complications occurred in 11 patients (4.49%) including malposition of catheter tip in 6, malfunction of catheter in 3, and port site infection in 2. Late complication occurred in 12 patients (4.90%).ConclusionSurgical insertion of TICVP system with percutaneous subclavian venous access is safe procedures with lower complications. Careful insertion of system and skilled management would decrease complication incidence.

An azygos vein aneurysm is a very rare cause of a posterior mediastinal mass. Once the diagnosis has been confirmed, no treatment is usually required. However, the aneurysm can thrombose, and this may lead pulmonary thromboembolism, or the aneurysm may rupture. In these instances, the excision of the mass is recommended. Video-assisted thoracic surgery techniques have considerably improved. If it is necessary to remove the aneurysm, video-assisted thoracic surgery may be a good option for surgical treatment. We report a case of an aneurysm of the azygos arch that was successfully resected by video-assisted thoracic surgery.

BackgroundIn chemical pleurodesis for managing pulmonary air leak, tetracycline derivatives are commonly used, and their effectiveness has been established in many studies. Recently, a Viscum album extract was used in chemical pleurodesis. We compared the effects of V. album with those of a tetracycline derivative (doxycycline) to demonstrate the therapeutic effectiveness of the V. album extract in chemical pleurodesis for managing pulmonary air leak.MethodsBetween October 2010 and October 2016, chemical pleurodesis was performed using doxycycline in 40 patients and the V. album extract in 37 patients. Thirty-three patients were in the postoperative state after pulmonary resection, and 44 patients suffered from spontaneous pneumothorax.ResultsNo statistically significant difference in the success rate was observed between the 2 groups (V. album extract and doxycycline). In both groups, chest pain was the most common complication. More patients in the doxycycline group complained of severe chest pain (42.1% vs. 13.5%, p=0.006). In the V. album extract group, 24.3% of the patients required a chest tube to drain the pleural effusion after cessation of the air leak (doxycycline group: 5%, p=0.022). Further, the amount of pleural effusion drained on the day after the last chemical pleurodesis in the V. album extract group was greater than that in the doxycycline group (162.2±170.2 mL vs. 97.0±77.2 mL, p=0.032). All patients were discharged from the hospital without complications after pleural effusion drainage.ConclusionConsidering that treatment using the V. album extract was less painful, V. album might be a feasible option for chemical pleurodesis. However, pleural effusion should be monitored carefully when using V. album extract for treating patients suffering from air leak.

Leiomyosarcoma of the mediastinum and primary leiomyosarcoma of the spine are exceedingly rare. In most cases, spinal leiomyosarcoma is metastatic. In this report, we describe the case of a 58-year-old man who presented with a large leiomyosarcoma of the posterior mediastinum that extended into the adjacent spinal canal. The tumor was completely resected from the mediastinum, but only subtotally removed from the spinal canal because the spinal mass had tightly invaded the spinal cord. Because the patient's postoperative condition was poor, no adjuvant radiotherapy or chemotherapy was administered. He expired 3 months after the surgery due to relapse; the spinal and mediastinal tumor remained at the preoperative size.