The Impact of Homogeneous Versus Heterogeneous Emphysema on Dynamic Hyperinflation in Patients With Severe COPD Assessed for Lung Volume Reduction

Dynamic hyperinflation (DH) is a pathophysiologic hallmark of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of emphysema distribution on DH during a maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) in patients with severe COPD.

This was a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data among severe COPD patients who underwent thoracic high-resolution computed tomography, full lung function measurements and maximal CPET with inspiratory manouvers as assessment for a lung volume reduction procedure. ΔIC was calculated by subtracting the end-exercise inspiratory capacity (eIC) from resting IC (rIC) and expressed as a percentage of rIC (ΔIC %). Emphysema quantification was conducted at 3 predefined levels using the syngo PULMO-CT (Siemens AG); a difference >25% between best and worse slice was defined as heterogeneous emphysema.

Fifty patients with heterogeneous (62.7% male; 60.9 ± 7.5 years old; FEV₁% = 32.4 ± 11.4) and 14 with homogeneous emphysema (61.5% male; 62.5 ± 5.9 years old; FEV₁% = 28.1 ± 10.3) fulfilled the enrolment criteria. The groups were matched for all baseline variables. ΔIC% was significantly higher in homogeneous emphysema (39.8% ± 9.8% vs.31.2% ± 13%, p = 0.031), while no other CPET parameter differed between the groups. Upper lobe predominance of emphysema correlated positively with peak oxygen pulse, peak oxygen uptake and peak respiratory rate, and negatively with ΔIC%. Homogeneous emphysema is associated with more DH during maximum exercise in COPD patients.     

纵膈腔占位致阵发性室上性心动过速3例

目的总结纵膈腔占位伴发阵发性室上性心动过速(PSVT)频发病例的临床特点,探讨纵膈占位诱发PSVT的可能机制。方法对2010年10月~2014年4月我院收治的纵膈腔占位后出现PSVT频发的3例患者临床特点进行总结分析。结果 3例患者既往均无明确的心血管病及PSVT发作史,均于明确的纵膈腔占位确诊后出现PSVT现象,且随病情进展逐渐频发。结论提示两者存在因果关系,应引起临床重视。     

Emphysema induced by elastase enhances acute inflammatory pulmonary response to intraperitoneal LPS in rats

Abnormalities in lungs caused by emphysema might alter their response to sepsis and the occurrence of acute lung injury (ALI). This study compared the extension of ALI in response to intraperitoneal lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injection in Wistar rats with and without emphysema induced by elastase. Adult male Wistar rats were randomized into four groups: control, emphysema without sepsis, normal lung with sepsis and emphysema with sepsis. Sepsis was induced, and 24 h later the rats were euthanised. The following analysis was performed: blood gas measurements, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), lung permeability and histology. Animals that received LPS showed significant increase in a lung injury scoring system, inflammatory cells in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and IL‐6, TNF‐α and CXCL2 mRNA expression in lung tissue. Animals with emphysema and sepsis showed increased alveolocapillary membrane permeability, demonstrated by higher BAL/serum albumin ratio. In conclusion, the presence of emphysema induced by elastase increases the inflammatory response in the lungs to a systemic stimulus, represented in this model by the intraperitoneal injection of LPS.     

Giant Thymolipoma: Case Report of an Unusual Mediastinal Tumor

Thymolipoma is an uncommon benign neoplasm of the thymus composed of mature adipose and thymic tissue. The diagnosis of thymolipoma should be considered in the case of a mediastinal mass with fat density, especially if it is interspersed with strands of soft tissue attenuation on computed tomography scans. However, it is sometimes difficult to differentiate radiologically between a thymolipoma and other mediastinal fatty tumors.Here we present a patient with a huge mediastinal mass that proved to be a thymolipoma.     

Massive Subcutaneous Emphysema in Robotic Sacrocolpopexy

The advent of robotic surgery has increased the popularity of laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy. Carbon dioxide insufflation, an essential component of laparoscopy, may rarely cause massive subcutaneous emphysema, which may be coincident with life-threatening situations such as hypercarbia, pneumothorax, and pneumomediastinum. Although the literature contains several reports of massive subcutaneous emphysema after a variety of laparoscopic procedures, we were not able to identify any report of this complication associated with laparoscopic or robotic sacrocolpopexy. Massive subcutaneous emphysema occurred in 3 women after robotic sacrocolpopexy in our practice. The patients had remarkable but reversible physical deformities lasting up to 1 week. A valveless endoscopic dynamic pressure system was used in all 3 of our cases. Our objective is to define the risk of massive subcutaneous emphysema during robotic sacrocolpopexy in light of these cases and discuss probable predisposing factors including the use of valveless endoscopic dynamic pressure trocars.