Chest
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Case Reports
Percutaneous cryoablation for pulmonary nodules in the residual lung after pneumonectomy: report of two cases.
Lung cancers in the residual lungs of patients who have undergone pneumonectomies are often unresectable, primarily because of the risks of overt pulmonary function losses. Percutaneous cryoablation of lung tumors is a potentially minimally invasive technique that has recently been used in the treatment of lung cancers and metastatic lung tumors. Here, we present two patients who had previously undergone pneumonectomies, in whom lung cancers in the residual lungs were treated by cryoablation. ⋯ In the second patient, local control was maintained for 2 years until the patient died of distant metastases. This is, to our knowledge, the first reported case of lung cryoablation in residual lungs of patients who have previously undergone pneumonectomies. Application of percutaneous cryoablation may represent a new treatment option for lung tumors in patients who have previously undergone pneumonectomies.
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Comparative Study
Efficacy of an adjustable oral appliance and comparison with continuous positive airway pressure for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.
We sought to establish the efficacy of an adjustable oral appliance (aOA) in the largest patient population studied to date, to our knowledge, and to provide a comparison with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). ⋯ In comparison with past reports, more patients in our study achieved an AHI < 5 using an aOA. The aOA is comparable to CPAP for patients with mild disease, whereas CPAP is superior for patients with moderate to severe disease. A lower AHI was the only predictor of a successful aOA titration.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Diagnostic yield of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration: results of the AQuIRE Bronchoscopy Registry.
New transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) technologies have been developed, but their clinical effectiveness and determinants of diagnostic yield have not been quantified. Prospective data are needed to determine risk-adjusted diagnostic yield. ⋯ To our knowledge, this is the first bronchoscopy study of risk-adjusted diagnostic yields on a hospital-level basis. High-volume hospitals were associated with high diagnostic yields. This study also demonstrates the value of procedural registries as a quality improvement tool. A larger number and variety of participating hospitals is needed to verify these results and to further investigate other determinants of diagnostic yield.