From the present study, we propose that after accurate classification, interventional bronchoscopic management may have an important role in the treatment of benign tracheal stenosis. Bronchoscopic treatment should be considered as first-line therapy for simple stenoses, whereas complex stenoses need a multidisciplinary approach and often require surgical intervention. However, bronchoscopic treatment may be a valid conservative approach in the management of patients with complex tracheal stenosis who are not eligible for operative treatment.

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Background. Carcinosarcoma of the lung is a rare malignant neoplasm. We evaluated the diagnosis and treatment of six carcinosarcoma cases, including a synchronous tumour and a solitary pulmonary tumour, along with the clinical and histological features and survival times.Methods. From a retrospective analysis of 1076 non-small-cell lung cancer resections performed between January 1996 and January 2011, six patients (0.5%) with pulmonary carcinosarcoma (all males; mean age 58 years; range 53–66) who underwent surgical treatment were studied.Results. The mean tumour pathological T diameter was 7.2 cm (median 6 cm, range 3–14.5 cm). Only one patient was diagnosed with carcinosarcoma preoperatively. The clinical presentation and tumour localisations differed. The operations performed were a lobectomy (n=4), pneumonectomy (n=1), and bilobectomy (n=1). Histologically, the epithelial characteristics of the tumours were consistent with squamous cell carcinoma in most of the patients. A complete resection was performed in all six patients. No mortality occurred in the early postoperative period. The median survival time was 9 (3–25) months.Conclusion. The preoperative diagnosis of carcinosarcoma of the lung is difficult due to the composition of the different histopathological structures. Complete surgical resection is the treatment of choice for pulmonary carcinosarcoma, although further studies are needed.

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In patients referred with a clinical diagnosis of OSAS, RDW may be a marker for the severity of the condition. As RDW is usually included in a complete blood count, it could provide an inexpensive tool for triaging OSAS patients for polysomnography evaluation.

Study Objectives: The cardiovascular complications caused by obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) decrease after continuous positive airway pressure treatment (CPAP). Mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet distribution width (PDW), and red cell distribution width (RDW) are newly recognized tools for assessing cardiovascular risk. Methods: From a selection of patients with symptoms of nocturnal snoring and/or excessive daytime sleepiness, 36 males with an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) > 30/h and 22 age-matched normal male controls with AHI < 5/h were included. Patients with OSA underwent another night of CPAP titration, and 11 patients were excluded at the 6-month evaluation due to poor compliance with the home CPAP therapy. Complete blood count parameters of compliant patients and the control group were evaluated. S C I E N T I F I C I N V E S T I G A T I O N SO bstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is characterized by collapse of the upper airway during sleep, recurring apnea, intermittent hypoxemia, and daytime sleepiness. The severity of OSA is evaluated in terms of the number of apnea/hypopnea episodes per hour of sleep and is expressed as the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI). 1Red blood cell distribution width (RDW) is a numerical measure of the size variability of circulating erythrocytes and is routinely reported as a component of the complete blood count in the differential diagnosis of anemia. Disorders related to ineffective erythropoiesis or increased red blood cell destruction cause greater size heterogeneity and thus a higher RDW. 2,3Several studies have reported increased platelet activation and aggregation in patients with OSA. 4,5 It has been shown that platelet size, as measured by mean platelet volume (MPV), correlates with platelet reactivity, and is regarded as an easy and useful tool for indirect monitoring of platelet activity. As larger platelets have greater thrombotic potential, the RDW, MPV, and platelet distribution width (PDW) have been shown to be related to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in patients with cardiac diseases. In OSA patients, RDW, MPV, and PDW are newly recognized indicators of the severity of the condition that are associated with no additional cost compared to a routinely performed complete blood count. 11-14Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy is the gold standard in patients with severe OSA. MPV is reduced after CPAP therapy in severe OSA patients, indicating that CPAP therapy has cardioprotective effects. 15 To our knowledge, the effect of CPAP therapy on RDW and PDW in OSA patients has not been reported; thus, we decided to investigate this possibility. BRIEF SUMMARYCurrent Knowledge/Study Rationale: Mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet distribution width (PDW), and red cell distribution width (RDW) are newly recognized tools for assessing cardiovascular risk. These markers increase in patients with OSA. The effect of CPAP treatment on these parameters was evaluated. Study Impact: Our data suggest that complete blood count parameters such as MPV, PDW, and RDW changed ...

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IntroductionBronchial carcinoid tumors are rarely seen neuroendocrine tumors accounting for more than 1 to 5% of all lung tumors and approximately 20 to 30% of all carcinoid tumors.1-3 The majority of these tumors originated from the proximal airways and most of them are symptomatic with obstructing symptoms or hemoptysis due to the tumor's hypervascularity. AbstractBackground Bronchial carcinoid tumors are known as low-grade malignancies. Surgery has been proposed as the best treatment of choice for lung carcinoids. However, less invasive treatment approaches may be considered due to low-grade malignancy potential of such tumors. The aim of this study was to review the results of endobronchial treatments of carcinoid tumors of the lung and to compare with the outcome after surgery.Methods Initial complete tumor eradication with an endobronchial treatment was attempted for 29 patients. Diode laser or argon plasma coagulation was used during these treatments. Cryotherapy or laser treatments were applied consecutively in patients for whom there was good bronchoscopic visualization of the distal and basal tumor margins and no evidence of bronchial wall involvement. Surgery was performed in cases of atypical carcinoid and in cases of nonvisualization of the basal and distal part of the tumor. Results Overall, 29 patients have been included (median age 58 years; range, 23-77 years). Median follow-up has been 49 months (range, 22-94 months). A total of 24 patients (69%) had typical carcinoid tumor, 5 patients (31%) had atypical carcinoid tumor. Initial endobronchial treatment provided complete tumor eradication in 21 of 29 patients (72%). Of the eight other patients (28%), two were atypical carcinoids, and underwent surgical treatment. There was no tumor-related death and no recurrence during the follow-up in both groups. There was no difference for survival or recurrence between the surgical and the endobronchial treatment group of patients (p > 0.05). Conclusion Endobronchial treatment may be considered as safe, effective treatment for typical carcinoid tumors in the central airways. Addition of initial endobronchial treatment had no negative effect on the surgical outcome.