[Examination of Optimal Frequency Processing in X-ray Images for Occult Femoral Neck Fractures].

Purpose: Osteosclerotic images are known as an image appearance of occult femoral neck fractures in X-ray images. The aim of this study is to investigate frequency enhancement processing that improves the visibility of the osteosclerotic image.

Methods: We acquired three sclerotic bone images with different thicknesses, and self-made bone equivalent phantoms were set up on a pelvic phantom.

Wedge extended bronchoplasty with caliber adjustment by membranous suture.

Extended bronchoplasty for the left lower lobe lung tumors with interlobar lymph node involvement is a useful surgical technique for avoiding pneumonectomy. Typically, sleeve bronchoplasty, in which the superior division bronchus and the left main bronchus are separated and anastomosed, is chosen due to the difference in caliber of the anastomosis; herein, we report a wedge extended bronchoplasty in which the superior division bronchus and the left main bronchus were not completely separated. The main point of this technique is to adjust the difference in caliber by suturing the main bronchial membranes.

Lung cancer detection in perioperative patients' exhaled breath with nanomechanical sensor array.

Introduction: Breath analysis using a chemical sensor array combined with machine learning algorithms may be applicable for detecting and screening lung cancer. In this study, we examined whether perioperative breath analysis can predict the presence of lung cancer using a Membrane-type Surface stress Sensor (MSS) array and machine learning.

Methods: Patients who underwent lung cancer surgery at an academic medical center, Japan, between November 2018 and November 2019 were included.

Sphericity of lymph nodes using 3D-CT predicts metastasis in lung cancer patients.

Background: The presence of mediastinal lymph node metastasis is important because it is related to the treatment and prognosis of lung cancer. Although prevalently used, evaluation of lymph nodes is not always reliable. We introduced sphericity as a criterion for evaluating morphologic differences between metastatic and nonmetastatic nodes.

Relationship between changes in pulmonary function and patient-reported outcomes of lung cancer surgery.

Purpose: To investigate the relationship between changes in pulmonary function (PF) and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) of lung cancer surgery.

Methods: We recruited 262 patients who underwent lung resection for lung cancer, to evaluate the PROs, using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ)-C30 and the Lung Cancer 13-question supplement (LC13). The patients underwent PF tests and PRO assessments preoperatively (Pre) and 1 year after surgery (Y1).

Identification of the Separation Range of an Incomplete Interlobar Fissure in Segmentectomy Using Near Infrared.

In segmentectomy for patients with incomplete interlobar fissures, insufficient dissection of the interlobar parenchyma may result in incomplete segmentectomy, while excessive dissection may lead to excessive bleeding and air leaks. Here, we report a case of left apicoposterior (S) segmentectomy with incomplete interlobar fissure in which near-infrared thoracoscopy with indocyanine green was used to identify the separation range of interlobar fissure by dissecting the relevant vessels beforehand.

Silicone stent placement using a rigid bronchoscope via a tracheostoma in a patient with postpneumonectomy syndrome.

Background: Silicone stents are options for airway stenosis or obstruction. Generally, silicone stent placement needs rigid bronchoscopy, but manipulation of a rigid bronchoscope has technical difficulties in some cases. The objective of this clinical case report is to highlight silicone stent placement with a rigid bronchoscope successfully achieved by changing the insertion from the mouth to the tracheostoma in a patient with postpneumonectomy syndrome.

Left thoracoscopic sympathectomy for refractory ventricular arrhythmias.

Left cardiac sympathetic denervation is a procedure used to prevent ventricular arrhythmias that remain refractory despite medical treatments. This procedure usually involves the resection of the lower side of the stellate ganglion, which is an uncommon surgical technique due to the limited situations in which it can be applied. Here, we report a case of refractory ventricular arrhythmias and a description of its successful treatment with the method of left cardiac sympathetic denervation using video-assisted thoracotomy.

Comparison of Postoperative Quality of Life and Pain with and without a Metal Rib Spreader in Patients Undergoing Lobectomy through Axillary Mini-Thoracotomy for Stage I Lung Cancer.

Purpose: To evaluate postoperative patient-reported quality of life (QOL) and pain with and without a metal rib spreader (MRS) in patients with stage I lung cancer who underwent lobectomy through axillary mini-thoracotomy (AMT).

Methods: This single-institution prospective observational study enrolled patients between January 2015 and April 2018. Their QOL and pain were evaluated using the EQ-5D and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire 30 items (QLQ-C30).

Predicting Respiratory Complications Following Lobectomy Using Quantitative CT Measures of Emphysema.

Purpose: In performing surgery for lung cancer, emphysema is a risk factor related to postoperative respiratory complications (PRC). However, few studies have addressed the risk of radiological emphysematous volume affecting PRC. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between emphysematous volume as measured on 3-dimensional computed tomography and PRC.

[Influence of Pleural Adhesions on Thoracoscopic Surgeries for Malignant Lung Tumors].

In the present study, influences of pleural adhesions on thoracoscopic lung surgeries were investigated. A total of 666 consecutive patients who had undergone thoracoscopic surgeries for lung malignant tumors were retrospectively analyzed. Pleural adhesions were present intraoperatively in 289 cases, of which 6 required conversion to thoracotomy due to the adhesions.

Risk factors of middle lobe bronchus kinking following right upper lobectomy.

Background: The incidence rate of kinking of the middle lobe bronchus following right upper lobectomy is higher compared to that with residual lung bronchus following other lobectomies. Bronchial kinking was presumed to be caused by the displacement of the residual lung lobes, but its etiology is unclear. Moreover, prevention methods and effective treatments have not yet been established.

Efficacy of Alaska Pollock Gelatin Sealant for Pulmonary Air Leakage in Porcine Models.

Background: Postoperative prolonged air leakage is a frequent complication after lung resection. We have developed a new sealant based on a hydrophobically modified Alaska pollock-derived gelatin (ApGltn) sealant. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the adhesive strength of the ApGltn sealant in comparison with a fibrin sealant using a new spray system in ex vivo and in vivo models.

Trajectory and profile of quality of life in patients undergoing lung resection for lung cancer during hospitalization according to the EQ-5D.

Objective: To clarify the trajectory and profile of quality of life (QOL) in lung cancer patients undergoing surgery during hospitalization.

Methods: Among prospectively enrolled 279 patients between 2015 and 2018, we used the EQ-5D-5 levels (EQ-5D-5L), which consist of a descriptive system of five dimensions and a visual analog scale (VAS) (from 0 to 100). The five dimensions are mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression, which are rated according to a 5-grade evaluation.

Consolidation volume and integration of computed tomography values on three-dimensional computed tomography may predict pathological invasiveness in early lung adenocarcinoma.

Purpose: To investigate the relationship between three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) findings and pathological invasiveness in lung adenocarcinoma.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 95 patients who underwent surgical resection of lung adenocarcinoma of ≤ 20 mm. The diameters, volumes, and CT values of tumor consolidation were analyzed.

Preoperative predictors of restoration in quality of life after surgery for lung cancer.

Background: The preoperative predictors of quality of life (QOL) in patients who undergo lung resection for lung cancer are poorly known. Here, we investigated these predictors in such patients using two QOL measures.

Methods: In this single-institutional prospective cohort study, we administered the EQ-5D-5 levels (EQ-5D-5L) from January 2015, and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire with 30 items from April 2015 to April 2018 preoperatively (Pre) and at one month postoperatively (M1), and one year postoperatively (Y1).

Factors related to physical and mental components of quality of life in the community-dwelling frail older persons.

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to investigate factors associated with changes in both the physical and mental components of quality of life (QOL) in of community-dwelling frail older persons in long-term care and to clarify which aspects are important to maintaining physical and mental components of QOL. [Participants and Methods] In this 1 year follow-up cohort study, participants were older persons from a single day care rehabilitation center in Japan. The Medical Outcome Study 8-Item Short-Form Health Survey (MOS-SF8), which gives both physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) scores, was used as the main QOL assessment.

A case of fungal conjunctivitis with giant papillae treated surgically.

Fungal conjunctivitis is a rare disorder, with low incidence and difficulty in diagnosis due to a lack of specific clinical findings. We report a case of fungal conjunctivitis which exhibited a specific clinical feature of giant papilla formation, and its diagnosis was a complex process. A 19-year-old woman with a history of atopic dermatitis and hard contact lens use was referred to us with a 3-month history of giant papillary conjunctivitis of the right eye in spite of treatment with antiallergic and corticosteroid eye drops, complicated by intraocular pressure elevation.

Finite Element Analysis of Changes in Tensile Strain by Airsoft Gun Impact on Eye and Deformation Rate in Eyes of Various Axial Lengths.

Purpose: We have carried out three-dimensional finite element analysis (FEA) to determine the physical and mechanical response in several ocular injuries. We applied this FEA model to evaluate an airsoft gun impact on an eye and the deformation rate of eyes of various axial lengths at various velocities.

Methods: This study was carried out on a human eye model using an FEA program created by Nihon, ESI Group.

Finite Element Analysis of Air Gun Impact on Post-Keratoplasty Eye.

Purpose: Due to the mechanical vulnerability of eyes that have undergone penetrating keratoplasty (PKP), it is clinically important to evaluate the possibility of corneal wound dehiscence by blunt impact. We have previously developed a simulation model resembling a human eye based on information obtained from cadaver eyes and applied three-dimensional finite element analysis (FEA) to determine the physical and mechanical response to an air gun impact at various velocities on the post-PKP eye.

Methods: Simulations in a human eye model were performed with a computer using a FEA program created by Nihon, ESI Group.