Content from the Journal of the American Neurological Surgeons.
Introduction Video-assisted thoracoscopic thymectomy (VATS) is an established approach for myasthenia gravis. The authors present a bilateral VATS thymectomy, highlighting key technical aspects. Case Description A 29-year-old male with ptosis was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis. Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging showed a 2 × 2 cm fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-avid anterior mediastinal lesion (standardized uptake value [SUV] 4.69). After medical optimization, bilateral VATS thymectomy was performed, starting…
Traumatic tracheobronchial injury is a rare but life-threatening complication of blunt chest trauma, accounting for approximately 0.5-2 percent of cases (1). These injuries most commonly occur near the right main bronchus due to the fixed position of the carina and reduced mediastinal protection (2). Prompt diagnosis and surgical intervention are essential to prevent respiratory failure and long-term complications. This video demonstrates the case…
This video demonstrates a patient in their 50s who experienced shortness of breath. Twenty years ago, they underwent pectus and breast implants to hide the defect, but now they require a Nuss procedure to anatomically correct the defect. First, the pectus implant was removed, and the incision was used to perform chondrectomies to help lift the sternum adequately, which is usually more challenging in a 50-year-old patient due to chest stiffness. The breast implants were also removed, one of which had already ruptured and was causing pain. Following this, a Prime Pectus Nuss procedure was performed with three bars,…
This video showcases a Nuss procedure performed after a previous Ravitch operation. The patient had undergone the Ravitch procedure 10 years prior, but the condition had recurred, leading to significant shortness of breath. The technique for the Nuss repair is demonstrated using the following seven golden rules: Elevate the chest Open the mediastinum widely Use…
At the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery in Great Britain and Ireland Annual Meeting, leading surgeons presented on various thoracic topics, including pectus care, chest wall resection and reconstruction, and sympathectomy. Dr. Joel Dunning, CTSNet Editor-in-Chief and a cardiothoracic surgeon at James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, UK, delivered a presentation on “Pectus Care in 2026.” He…
In this top-notch interview, CTSNet Editor-in-Chief Joel Dunning spoke with Dr. Andrea Steely, an Assistant Professor of Cardiac Surgery in the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Utah Health, Salt Lake City, UT, USA, about aortic surgery and long-term patient follow-up. They discussed the critical importance of educating both patients and surgeons about aortic disease, and the most effective strategies for follow-up care after aortic surgery. The conversation also covered testing genetic…
Join Us in Turin in June for This Interactive MCS Workshop! Providing didactic teaching, hands on dry lab operative experience, and practical demonstrations, this MCS Workshop welcomes everyone involved in heart failure care. Surgeons, anesthesiologists, perfusionists, acute care specialists, interventional cardiologists and heart failure nurses—all who participate in the management of critically ill patients…
Advanced-stage lung cancer patients who have undergone lung resection, adjuvant chemotherapy, and immunotherapy are often immunocompromised and prone to pleural space infections. A pleural window is usually not accepted by patients because of poor quality of life. Thoracoplasty with latissimus dorsi myoplasty, on the other hand, continues to play a vital role in selected patients,…
Background Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is now widely used for the management of aortic stenosis. As indications expand to include younger and lower-risk patients, surgical explantation of failed TAVR prostheses is being encountered more frequently. TAVR explantation is technically demanding due to the extensive endothelialization of the device and its integration with the aortic…
The patient was a healthy 88-year-old male who had been in atrial fibrillation (AF) for 20 years, who presented with a large left atrium. He had undergone ascending aortic replacement, aortic valve replacement, mitral valve repair (MVr), and tricuspid valve repair in the past, during which the repair of the tricuspid valve was performed through…
This video demonstrates the surgical management of a 36-year-old non-smoking female who was diagnosed with a typical carcinoid tumor involving the left lower lobe bronchus. The diagnosis was established through endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA), and further evaluation with computed tomography (CT) and PET-DOTANOC imaging revealed a 25 mm centrally located hilar lesion without…
Change is hard, so for those who are looking for guidance on where to find specific features or further explanation about the redesigned CTSNet, you’ve come to the right place! This guide provides a comprehensive overview of the new CTSNet.org experience, including explanations of new features, along with videos and screenshots to help you navigate…
This video demonstrates the use of chrondotomies in the Nuss procedure to allow the sternum to lift more safely in the most severe pectus excavatum cases. The authors found that in very severe cases, and in older patients with asymmetry, simply lifting the sternum with bars is not sufficient. The cartilages can fracture in undesirable…
The patient was a 2-month-old, 4.5 kg infant with heart failure symptoms and severe pulmonary hypertension who was diagnosed with multiple apical ventricular septal defects (VSDs). He was placed on home oxygen and Sildenafil in an attempt to lower his pulmonary artery pressure. After a thorough evaluation, cardiac catheterization showed improvement in his pulmonary vascular…
Pectus excavatum is a common chest wall deformity that can cause significant symptoms. The minimally invasive Nuss procedure is a widely used surgical technique to correct this condition by placing a curved metal bar (Nuss bar) behind the sternum, repositioning it into a more normal anatomical shape. In this video, the authors present the case of…
At the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery in Great Britain and Ireland Annual Meeting, Dr. Emile Bacha, Chair of the Department of Surgery and Surgeon-in-Chief at Columbia University Medical Center and Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital NewYork-Presbyterian, NY, USA, delivered an outstanding presentation titled “Surgical Management of Aortic Valve Disease in Young Patients.” He explored essential aspects…
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