Thoracoscopic decortication of advanced tuberculous empyema is feasible, safe, and effective with good short- and long-term results in selected patients. In a substantial portion of patients, operative cultures required modifying drug treatment to treat underlying tuberculosis.

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Introduction Eventration of the diaphragm results in impaired respiratory mechanics, which leads to symptoms of dyspnea. Robotic diaphragmatic plication is a recently reported technique that has had good immediate outcomes. The aim of this study was to describe our transthoracic and transabdominal plication techniques and to analyze the safety, efficacy, and feasibility of robotic diaphragmatic plication in an Indian setting. Methods This retrospective study was conducted at a large tertiary care center in a dedicated thoracic surgery unit. To measure the efficacy of plication, we administered a pulmonary function test to each patient at baseline and 6 months postoperatively and then compared the results. Results Eighteen patients underwent robotic diaphragmatic plication during the study period. Of these 18 patients, 12 underwent surgery via a transabdominal approach, and 6 underwent surgery via a transthoracic approach. Surgery was completed robotically in 17 patients. The comparison of the preoperative and postoperative pulmonary function test results showed that the mean ± SD increase in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) was 19.9 ± 22.0% (P = .002) and the mean increase in FEV1/forced vital capacity was 5.7 ± 2.5 % (P = .225), indicating a significant improvement in FEV1 after surgery. Conclusion Robotic diaphragmatic plication can be performed transthoracically or transabdominally with good surgical outcomes. It is safe, effective, and feasible.

Background: At present, there are no universally accepted protocols for the management of chylothorax. This study aims at reporting the clinical experience and presenting our institutional protocol for managing chylothorax. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of chylothorax patients managed at a dedicated thoracic surgical unit over 8 years. A detailed analysis of demography and perioperative variables including complications was carried out. Factors influencing failure of conservative and surgical therapy were analyzed. Results: A total of 26 patients were included with a mean age of 42.4 years (range, 2–72 years). Postsurgical chylothorax was the most common variant (53.8%). Majority (46.1%) of the patients had >1000 ml/24 h intercostal tube drainage at presentation. All patients were initially subjected to conservative management, of which 11 (42.4%) patients were managed successfully with conservative therapy alone. Rest 15 (57.6%) patients required video-assisted thoracoscopic thoracic duct ligation, which was successful in 10/15 (66.7%) patients, whereas additional intervention was required in 5/15 (33.3%) patients. Drain output of >1000 ml/day was an independent predictor of failure of conservative therapy. Nontraumatic bilateral chylothorax was associated with high probability of failure of surgical therapy in the first attempt and may require additional treatment modality. Conclusions: Initial conservative management is recommended for all chylothorax patients, which is unlikely to succeed if daily drainage is >1000 ml/24 h. VATS thoracic duct ligation is recommended in such cases. Nontraumatic bilateral chylothorax has higher surgical failure rates. In such cases, additional procedures in the form of pleurodesis and/or thoracic duct embolization/disruption should be considered.

Objectives: The diagnosis of traumatic transection of main bronchus is often delayed, resulting in attempts at surgical repair sometimes even months after the injury. Our aim is to analyze the factors affecting surgical outcome in patients undergoing lung preserving bronchial re-implantation for bronchial transection. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of prospectively maintained data of 10 cases of traumatic transection of main bronchus who underwent bronchial re-implantation at a tertiary thoracic surgery center in India. Patients were divided into two groups based on their total length of hospital stay. Occurrence of postoperative complications and/or hospital stay >7 days were considered poor surgical outcomes. Results: Out of 10 patients, 6 were left main bronchus transections and 4 right main bronchus transections. The male-female ratio was 7:3. Right-sided bronchial injury and higher preoperative Injury Severity Score (ISS) were associated with poor surgical outcomes (P < 0.01). These patients also had significantly higher anastomotic complications, chest tube duration, and prolonged postoperative air leak. Age of the patient, preoperative hemoglobin or albumin levels, and time of referral did not influence the surgical outcomes. Conclusions: Poorer surgical outcomes were observed in patients who had right-sided main bronchus injury and higher ISSs. Time of referral did not influence the outcome. This study is limited by small sample size and retrospective nature. As no single center will have large numbers of this uncommon injury, multicenter pooled data are needed to re-affirm the findings of this study.