Video-assisted mediastinoscopic lymphadenectomy (VAMLA): A video vignette

2021 ◽  

Mediastinal staging in potentially resectable non-small cell lung cancer is of paramount importance since it impacts the survival of the patient. With increasing nodal stage, survival was noted to precipitously decline. Nodal status also determined the use of neoadjuvant/adjuvant therapy and other treatment modalities. Various methods of obtaining lymphatic tissue from the mediastinum for staging purposes have been described in the literature, although mediastinoscopic lymph node evaluation remains the gold standard. Endoscopic methods of mediastinal staging, like the endobronchial ultrasound guided and esophageal ultrasound guided fine-needle aspiration techniques, although minimally invasive, provide the highest levels of accuracy when used in conjunction with surgical mediastinal staging. Video-assisted mediastinoscopic lymphadenectomy (VAMLA) provides clear advantages, as far as ergonomics and training are concerned, over conventional mediastinoscopy. Access to stations 2R, 2L, 4R, 4L, and 7 is feasible with VAMLA. In this video vignette, we present the step-by-step technique of a standard VAMLA, with an overview of relevant anatomical relationships, for the effective and safe clearance of lymph node stations for the purposes of staging and defining appropriate therapy.

Cancers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virginia Leiro-Fernandez ◽  
Loretta De Chiara ◽  
Mar Rodríguez-Girondo ◽  
Maribel Botana-Rial ◽  
Diana Valverde ◽  
...  

The evaluation of mediastinal lymph nodes is critical for the correct staging of patients with lung cancer (LC). Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) is a minimally invasive technique for mediastinal staging, though unfortunately lymph node micrometastasis is often missed by cytological analysis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive capacity of methylation biomarkers and provide a classification rule for predicting malignancy in false negative EBUS-TBNA samples. The study included 112 patients with a new or suspected diagnosis of LC that were referred to EBUS-TBNA. Methylation of p16/INK4a, MGMT, SHOX2, E-cadherin, DLEC1, and RASSF1A was quantified by nested methylation-specific qPCR in 218 EBUS-TBNA lymph node samples. Cross-validated linear regression models were evaluated to predict malignancy. According to EBUS-TBNA and final diagnosis, 90 samples were true positives for malignancy, 110 were true negatives, and 18 were false negatives. MGMT, SHOX2, and E-cadherin were the methylation markers that better predicted malignancy. The model including sex, age, short axis diameter and standard uptake value of adenopathy, and SHOX2 showed 82.7% cross-validated sensitivity and 82.4% specificity for the detection of malignant lymphadenopathies among negative cytology samples. Our results suggest that the predictive model approach proposed can complement EBUS-TBNA for mediastinal staging.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shingo Nishikawa ◽  
Ryo Ariyasu ◽  
Tomoaki Sonoda ◽  
Masafumi Saiki ◽  
Takahiro Yoshizawa ◽  
...  

A 27-year-old man was diagnosed with inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor, and multiple lymph node and subcutaneous metastases. After several administrations of anti-tumor therapy, he underwent mediastinal lymph node biopsy using endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) to confirm tumor relapse. Five weeks later, he complained of chest pain, then rapidly developed shock due to acute pericarditis. Although he was treated with antibiotics for anaerobic bacterial infection and cardiac drainage, mediastinal lymph node abscess and pericarditis did not improve. After the surgical procedure, his physical condition dramatically improved and he was treated with another molecularly targeted therapy. Pericarditis associated with EBUS-TBNA is extremely rare. In this case, salvage was achieved by surgical drainage of the lymph node abscess and pericarditis, and long survival was obtained with further administration of anti-tumor treatment.


2015 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Viviane Rossi Figueiredo ◽  
Paulo Francisco Guerreiro Cardoso ◽  
Márcia Jacomelli ◽  
Sérgio Eduardo Demarzo ◽  
Addy Lidvina Mejia Palomino ◽  
...  

Objective: Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) is a minimally invasive, safe and accurate method for collecting samples from mediastinal and hilar lymph nodes. This study focused on the initial results obtained with EBUS-TBNA for lung cancer and lymph node staging at three teaching hospitals in Brazil. Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of patients diagnosed with lung cancer and submitted to EBUS-TBNA for mediastinal lymph node staging. The EBUS-TBNA procedures, which involved the use of an EBUS scope, an ultrasound processor, and a compatible, disposable 22 G needle, were performed while the patients were under general anesthesia. Results: Between January of 2011 and January of 2014, 149 patients underwent EBUS-TBNA for lymph node staging. The mean age was 66 ± 12 years, and 58% were male. A total of 407 lymph nodes were sampled by EBUS-TBNA. The most common types of lung neoplasm were adenocarcinoma (in 67%) and squamous cell carcinoma (in 24%). For lung cancer staging, EBUS-TBNA was found to have a sensitivity of 96%, a specificity of 100%, and a negative predictive value of 85%. Conclusions: We found EBUS-TBNA to be a safe and accurate method for lymph node staging in lung cancer patients.


2019 ◽  
Vol 144 (7) ◽  
pp. 878-882 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcos Lepe ◽  
Pembe Oltulu ◽  
Mariana Canepa ◽  
Roseann I. Wu ◽  
Amy Deeken ◽  
...  

Context.— Social media sites are increasingly used for education, networking, and rapid dissemination of medical information, but their utility for facilitating research has remained largely untapped. Objective.— To describe in detail our experience using a social media platform (Twitter) for the successful initiation, coordination, and completion of an international, multi-institution pathology research study. Design.— Following a tweet describing a hitherto-unreported biopsy-related histologic finding in a mediastinal lymph node following endobronchial ultrasound–guided transbronchial needle aspiration, a tweet was posted to invite pathologists to participate in a validation study. Twitter's direct messaging feature was used to create a group to facilitate communication among participating pathologists. Contributing pathologists reviewed consecutive cases of mediastinal lymph node resection following endobronchial ultrasound–guided transbronchial needle aspiration and examined them specifically for biopsy site changes. Data spreadsheets containing deidentified data and digital photomicrographs of suspected biopsy site changes were submitted via an online file hosting service for central review by 5 pathologists from different institutions. Results.— A total of 24 pathologists from 14 institutions in 5 countries participated in the study within 143 days of study conception, and a total of 297 cases were collected and analyzed. The time interval between study conception and acceptance of the manuscript for publication was 346 days. Conclusions.— To our knowledge, this is the first time that a social media platform has been used to generate a research idea based on a tweet, recruit coinvestigators publicly, communicate with collaborating pathologists, and successfully complete a pathology study.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document