Interdisciplinary cardiovascular and thoracic surgery最新文献

Objectives: To provide a European-focused overview of the role of patient advocacy groups in shaping surgical lung cancer care, highlighting their contributions to multidisciplinary care, equitable access, psycho-social support, and patient-centred research.

Methods: We conducted a narrative review of the major European and national lung cancer advocacy organizations, integrating perspectives from patient leaders and thoracic surgeons. The analysis focused on initiatives directly impacting thoracic surgery and perioperative care, with attention to education, prevention, survivorship, and research advocacy.

Results: Multiple advocacy organizations have significantly influenced lung cancer care with relevance to surgery. Oncogene Cancer Research (UK) promotes transparent information and shared decision-making around surgical options across all disease stages. Women Against Lung Cancer in Europe delivers large-scale initiatives such as European Program for ROutine testing of Patients with Advanced lung cancer, expanding molecular testing and psycho-social support across several European countries. The Israeli Lung Cancer Foundation secured national low-dose CT screening and mandatory multidisciplinary team review for early-stage patients. In Greece, FairLife launched the BREATH program, providing structured psycho-social support integrated with surgical pathways. Longkanker Nederland advances shared decision-making through national decision aids, patient-reported outcomes, and guideline development. ALK Positive UK develops tailored education for patients and clinicians, addressing the impact of biomarker status on surgical pathways. At the European level, Lung Cancer Europe drives large-scale surveys, awareness campaigns, and collaborations with European Society of Thoracic Surgery to embed patient perspectives into surgical discussions.

Conclusions: Patient advocacy is increasingly shaping thoracic surgery in Europe, bridging gaps in communication, equity, and research. By collaborating with advocacy organizations, surgeons can deliver more integrated, communicative, and patient-centred care, ensuring that surgical innovation aligns with the lived experiences and priorities of patients.

Objectives: Large-scale comparative data on the perioperative safety of robotic-assisted thoracoscopic surgery and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery in Asia are limited. We compared the perioperative outcomes of these 2 approaches for lung cancer.

Methods: This retrospective study used data from the Diagnostic Procedure Combination database in Japan. We included 47 541 patients who underwent lobectomy or segmentectomy for lung cancer from 2018 to 2021 and performed multivariable analyses.

Results: Among 47 541 patients, 2835 underwent robotic-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. Perioperative mortality did not differ significantly between groups (incidence rate ratio, 1.71; 95% CI, 0.88-3.33). Robotic-assisted surgery was associated with longer anaesthesia time and a higher incidence of mechanical ventilation postoperatively (incidence rate ratio, 1.96; 95% CI, 1.36-2.81), although the absolute difference was small (Marginal risk difference, +0.52 percentage points; 95% CI, +0.14 to +0.91). No significant differences were observed in other major complications, reoperation, or hospital stay.

Conclusions: In this large, real-world Japanese cohort including the early experience with robotic surgery, overall perioperative safety was comparable between robotic-assisted and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, although a statistically significant but small absolute increase in postoperative ventilation was observed with the robotic approach. This association remained robust across a series of sensitivity analyses. However, it is likely influenced by unmeasured confounding. Future prospective studies should investigate specific procedural factors, including anaesthetic management and patient selection, to optimize outcomes.

Aortic valve commissural avulsion is an exceptionally rare and often underdiagnosed cause of aortic regurgitation. We report a 30-year-old male with severe chronic aortic regurgitation and a mildly dilated aortic root, in whom intraoperative inspection revealed spontaneous avulsion of the right-noncoronary commissure. The patient underwent valve-sparing aortic root replacement using a combined approach: remodelling root replacement with external annuloplasty according to the Lansac technique, and targeted commissural reinforcement based on David principles. Postoperative and 6-month imaging showed stable root geometry, good leaflet coaptation, mild central regurgitation, and improved left ventricular function. This case highlights the diagnostic value of multimodality imaging and illustrates that tailored application of established valve-sparing techniques can achieve durable repair in rare commissural lesions.

Objectives: Neoadjuvant chemo-immunotherapy is associated with oncologic benefits in patients undergoing resection for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We assessed patient-reported physical and psychological symptoms following neoadjuvant chemo-immunotherapy and surgery compared to stage-equivalent patients who were operated during the same period without neodjuvant treatment.

Methods: All consecutive patients submitted to lung resection for clinical stage II and III NSCLC between March 2023 and December 2024 and alive at the time of the interview were approached for the study. Their patient-reported symptoms were assessed using the Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Symptom Assessment Questionnaire (NSCLC-SAQ) and their psychological distress was assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).

Results: Of the 138 patients initially screened, 82 completed the survey. Median time from surgery to the interview was 13.9 months. There was no difference in total NSCLC-SAQ score between patients undergoing upfront surgery (S) and surgery after neoadjuvant chemo-immunotherapy (CT-IO) (P = .64). Chemo-immunotherapy was not independently associated with total NSCLC-SAQ score after multivariable regression analysis. The average anxiety and depression scores were also similar between the 2 groups. Finally, a similar proportion of patients in the 2 groups reported to have symptoms similar or better than before starting treatment.

Conclusions: Our findings show in a real clinical practice setting that neoadjuvant chemo-immunotherapy is not negatively associated with patient-reported physical or psychological symptoms in the medium to long-term follow-up compared to surgery alone. These results can be used as information tool during patients' counselling.

Objectives: Atrial functional mitral regurgitation (MR) lacks well-defined treatment guidelines. Medical therapy alone is insufficient, and either TEER (transcatheter edge-to-edge) or surgery is recommended. Short- and long-term comparative outcomes remain unclear. We aim to address this gap using available data.

Methods: We performed a meta-analysis of studies examining the outcomes of surgery and/or transcatheter edge-to-edge. MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library were assessed. The incidence rate of late severe MR was the primary outcome. A random model was performed. Leave-one-out, subgroup, and meta-regression analyses were conducted.

Results: Thirty-two studies (1923 patients); 20 in surgery (1166) vs 12 in TEER (757), were selected. TEER patients were, on average, 10 years older, with twice the rate of New York Heart Association Classification (NYHA) III/IV symptoms and more than double the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Risk (STS) score. At a weighted mean follow-up of 3.2 years, compared to isolated transcatheter, surgery was associated with decreased incidence of late severe MR (2.53 vs 6.66 events per 100 person-years, P-interaction = .03), late all-cause mortality (3.00 vs 8.84, P-interaction = .024), late heart failure hospitalization (4.44 vs 17.03, P-interaction < .01), and late NYHA III/IV (2.98 vs 22.47, P-interaction < .01). However, significantly better long-term outcomes associated with surgery showed high heterogeneity. There were no differences in early all-cause mortality, early cardiac-specific mortality, late cardiac-specific mortality, postprocedural morbidities, or atrial diameter. On meta-regression, preprocedural heart failure (β = 0.0224, P < .01) and coronary artery disease (β = 0.0294, P < .00001) were linked to increased late severe MR. Older age, hypertension, mitral valve replacement, and associated aortic valve surgery were linked to increased late all-cause mortality.

Conclusions: Surgery and isolated transcatheter edge-to-edge repair showed comparable short-term outcomes, with surgery appearing more effective long-term; however, due to study limitations and heterogeneity, these findings are hypothesis-generating and require validation through prospective studies.

Clinical registration number: PROSPERO website: CRD42024504022.

Objectives: The management of asymptomatic aortic stenosis (AS) is controversial. We perform a meta-analysis of reconstructed individual patient data to compare conservative treatment versus transcatheter or surgical aortic valve replacement (TAVR or SAVR) in asymptomatic AS.

Methods: PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane CENTRAL were systematically searched, through 25th September 2025, to identify any observational or randomized controlled studies that comply with our inclusion criteria. Our primary outcomes were short cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular mortality as well as long-term mortality. We combined aggregate data meta-analysis for dichotomous outcomes using incidence rate ratio (IRR) with reconstructed time-to-event data derived from published Kaplan-Meier curves using validated algorithms.

Results: Seventeen studies were included. Overall, AVR was associated with a significantly lower risk of all-cause mortality compared with conservative management (IRR = 0.43; 95% CI, 0.32-0.57; P < .001). Cardiovascular mortality was also significantly reduced with AVR (IRR = 0.47; 95% CI, 0.29-0.75; P < .01; I2 = 62%). The risk of heart failure hospitalization was markedly lower among AVR recipients (IRR = 0.39; 95% CI, 0.22-0.67; P < .01), with consistent benefit across study designs. AVR was further associated with a substantial reduction in sudden cardiac death (IRR = 0.13; 95% CI, 0.04-0.48; P < .01) and myocardial infarction (IRR = 0.11; 95% CI, 0.04-0.31; P = .03). The risk of stroke was not significantly different between groups (IRR = 0.77; 95% CI, 0.58-1.02; P = .07). Reconstructed Kaplan-Meier analyses demonstrated durable long-term survival benefit with AVR, consistent across surgical and transcatheter approaches.

Conclusions: Patients with asymptomatic AS, managed with either SAVR or TAVR, were associated with lower short- and long-term mortality compared to conservative management.

Objectives: To assess the application of preoperative indocyanine green (ICG) near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging in video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for posterior mediastinal neurogenic tumors.

Methods: We present a case of a 66-year-old female with a T3-adjacent posterior mediastinal tumor. She received intravenous ICG (5 mg/kg) 24 hours before surgery. Intraoperative NIR imaging was used to identify the tumor and nearby nerves during VATS.

Results: ICG fluorescence clearly delineated the tumor margins and visualized the adjacent sympathetic and intercostal nerves. This guided the complete resection of the tumor, which extended into the intervertebral foramen, with no postoperative complications. Pathology confirmed a schwannoma.

Discussion: ICG NIR imaging offers enhanced intraoperative visualization for complex posterior mediastinal tumors. It aids in distinguishing tumor from normal tissue and identifying key nerves, thereby facilitating complete resection while minimizing the risk of iatrogenic injury. This technique shows promise for managing "dumbbell" tumors via a minimally invasive approach.

Conclusion: Preoperative ICG injection is a useful adjunct in VATS for posterior mediastinal tumors, improving the delineation of tumor borders and neural structures to enhance surgical precision and safety.

Objectives: Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is commonly encountered in patients with left-sided valve disease and often progresses postoperatively if left unaddressed. While mitral valve replacement (MVR) alone may improve left heart parameters, concomitant tricuspid ring annuloplasty (TRA) might prevent right-sided deterioration.

Methods: This retrospective study analysed 129 patients undergoing MVR between 2016 and 2019. Patients were divided into 2 groups: isolated MVR (n = 71) and MVR + TRA (n = 58). Long-term echocardiographic outcomes were compared, including LVDD, LVSD, LVEF, LA diameter, IVS thickness, pulmonary flow rate, PAP, and TI degree.

Results: Both the groups showed regression in left heart dimensions postoperatively; however, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) significantly decreased in the MVR-only group (P < .001) while it remained stable in the MVR + TRA group (P =0.598). Severe tricuspid insufficiency occurred in 12% (95% CI 5%-21%) of patients undergoing isolated MVR and 0% (95% CI 0%-6 ) of those undergoing MVR + TRA (P < .001). The mean difference in the change of pulmonary artery pressure (ΔPAP) between the groups was 12.0 mmHg (95% CI 6.5-17.3, P = .002), and both pulmonary artery pressure and left atrial diameter significantly decreased postoperatively in the MVR + TRA group.

Conclusions: Performing TRA during MVR surgery offers significant protective effects against TI progression and right heart overload. Even in cases with mild TI but annular dilation, simultaneous TRA may be a rational and beneficial strategy to ensure long-term cardiac stability.

Objectives: To evaluate segmental changes in thoracic spinal alignment following minimally invasive bar correction in patients with pectus excavatum (PE) and pectus carinatum (PC), and to determine the relationship between these changes in upper thoracic (UT, T1-T6) and main thoracic (MT, T6-T12) curvatures and relevant clinical or surgical factors.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 581 patients operated in 2008-2020: 433 PE (Nuss) and 148 PC (Abramson). UT and MT Cobb angles were measured on PA chest radiographs preoperatively and at early/final postoperative follow-up. Age, sex, number of bars (1, 2, ≥3), lateral stabilizers, and retention time were recorded. Pre- vs postoperative differences were tested with paired t-tests; intersegment and covariate associations with Pearson correlation (P < .05).

Results: Age was 17.1 ± 4.9 (PE) and 16.6 ± 7.9 (PC). In PE, UT/MT angles rose from 7.12°/7.03° (95% CI, 7.01°-8.98°/6.29°-8.33°) to 8.47°/7.20° (95% CI, 8.43°-10.67°/6.23°-8.43°); UT increased in 79.2% and MT in 49.2%. In PC, UT rose from 4.5° (95% CI, -1.47° to 18.41°) to 6.73°(95% CI, -2.22° to 22.39°), while MT fell from 10.02° (95% CI, 1.45°-12.38°) to 9.97° (95% CI, 3.26°-15.33°); UT increased in 81.1% and MT decreased in 93.2%. These changes were not significant overall (all P > .05). No associations were found between UT/MT changes and bar number, stabilizer use/orientation, or retention time. In PE, UT and MT changes correlated weakly but significantly (r = 0.205, P = .006); in PC, a moderate, non-significant correlation was observed (r = 0.515, P = .295).

Conclusions: Minimally invasive pectus correction can influence thoracic alignment not only in the main curvature but also in the UT segment. In patients with PE, postoperative increases in UT curvature may result in mild shoulder imbalance rather than true skeletal asymmetry. Therefore, pre- and postoperative clinical evaluation of shoulder level and posture should be included in the routine assessment of pectus patients to better understand and anticipate these segment-specific alignment changes.

Objectives: Aortic valve replacement with Trifecta valve provides a greater early haemodynamic performance with its externally mounted structure. However, failure rates in short-term post-implantation started to be reported, which brought great attention towards understanding the mechanisms of failure and optimal approaches for the replacement of the valve.

Methods: Fifty-seven studies published in PubMed/Medline, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Embase, and ClinicalTrials.gov were explored until January 2025. Original research articles or clinical trial reports that describe Trifecta failure and studies that describe valves used to approach failed Trifecta valves were included.

Results: Durability of Trifecta has shown a median range of 4 to 9 years with re-operative incidence of 7.3% to 16.9%, respectively, with smaller valves (19-21 mm) degenerating quicker. Anti-calcification compounds used and valve design are the main causes for Trifecta structural valve degeneration. Modes of Trifecta failure soon after valve implantation are leaflet(s) dehiscence or tear along the stent post and, in the longer term post-operatively, include leaflet calcification and the fibrofatty circumferential pannus development in the inflow area.

Conclusions: We recommend that patients following Trifecta implantation with preoperative impaired kidneys, postoperative low effective orifice area (EOA) indexes, and prosthesis-patient mismatch be closely followed with echocardiograms to detect a possible Trifecta failure. Replacing a failed Trifecta valve with a sutureless Perceval could be an excellent option to approach a pre-existing small native annulus. Valve-in-valve transcatheter aortic valve implantation is a less favourable option due to the risk of a reduced EOA, though it may still be considered in selected patients with larger annuli.