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SUV(max) correlates with tumour characteristics, surgical stage and prognosis following resection. SUV(max) may be a useful preoperative tool, in addition to other known prognostic markers, in allocating patients with potentially poor prognosis preoperatively to neoadjuvant chemotherapy prior to resection in order to improve their overall survival. Prospective and randomised trials are warranted.

Acute renal failure requiring continuous renal replacement therapy post cardiac surgery carries a high mortality. Most studies have focused on patients with impaired renal function preoperatively but little is known about predictors of such a complication in patients with preoperatively normal renal function. This is a retrospective review of a prospective collected database. A total of 1609 patients underwent cardiac surgery over a 4-year period. Dialysis was required in 47 patients (2.9%). Univariate analysis identified the following as significant risk factors: age, female gender, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive cardiac failure, creatinine clearance, Euro, Parsonnet and Cleveland clinic scores, body mass index, non-isolated CABG, cardiopulmonary bypass time, extubation time and pulmonary complications (P<0.05). Multivariate analysis identified EuroSCORE, congestive cardiac failure, insulin-dependent diabetes, emergency surgery, postoperative extubation time and pulmonary complications as independent risk factors (P<0.05). In-hospital mortality and length of stay (P<0.0001) were higher in dialysis group. Acute renal failure requiring dialysis post cardiac surgery is associated with a higher mortality and prolonged hospital stay. By identifying higher risk patients, early planned preventative measures should be readily available to both reduce the incidence of such a complication and improve utilisation of hospital resources.

Despite documented superiority of positron emission tomography over other investigative modalities in the preoperative staging of non-small cell lung cancer, a proportion of patients will have an inaccurate staging of their mediastinal nodes. The aim of this retrospective review is to analyse the clinicopathological factors responsible for inaccurate nodal staging by integrated PET-CT. A total of 100 consecutive patients with histologically proven non-small cell lung cancer underwent staging with PET-CT prior to lung resection. Thirty-three patients, inaccurately staged by PET-CT, were analysed. Univariate analysis identified the following as significant in causing inaccurate nodal staging: history of tuberculosis (P=0.039) and non-insulin dependant diabetes (P=0.014). In multivariate analysis, we have identified the following as independent factors in causing inaccurate staging of mediastinal lymph nodes: rheumatoid arthritis, non-insulin dependent diabetes, history of tuberculosis, presence of atypical adenomatous hyperplasia and pneumonia (P<0.05). The highest rate of inaccuracy in mediastinal nodal staging was in nodal station 4 (11%, P=0.01) followed by station 7 (10%, P=0.02) and station 9 (3.5%, P=0.01). Interpretation of PET-CT staging of the mediastinum in patients with a history of the above should be with caution, as the incidence of false upstaging and down staging in these subgroups is high. Vigilance of such factors may improve the accuracy of PET-CT in staging mediastinal lymph nodes. Histological confirmation should always be sought.

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