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Background The indications and the outcome of surgery for pulmonary aspergilloma remain highly controversial. This retrospective observational study was conducted to study the clinical profile, indications, post-operative complications and long term outcome of patients having pulmonary aspergilloma. Methods From January 2000 to October 2008, 52 patients underwent surgery for pulmonary aspergilloma at our tertiary care institute. Results The group consisted of 32 males and 20 females with a mean age of 39.3 ± 11.2 years. The most common indication for surgery was hemoptysis (96.15%). The underlying lung diseases were tuberculosis (75%), bronchiectasis (5.76%), and lung abscess (5.76%). In one patient (2%), concomitant ruptured lung hydatid cyst and an aspergilloma was present. The procedures performed were lobectomy ( n = 43), bilobectomy ( n = 3). pneumonectomy ( n = 3), segmental resection ( n = 3). The post-operative mortality was 1.92% (one patient). Overall complications occurred in 12 (23.07%) patients. The complications included prolonged air leak ( n = 6), bleeding ( n = 3), empyema ( n = 1), repeated pneumothorax ( n = 1), and wound dehiscence ( n = 1). The mean follow-up period was 38 ± 18.6 months. There was no recurrence of disease or hemoptysis. Conclusion Pulmonary aspergilloma is common in developing countries like India in which there is high prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis. Surgical resection of pulmonary aspergilloma is effective in preventing recurrence of symptoms including hemoptysis. We recommend early surgical resection of symptomatic aspergilloma with reasonable complications. Pre-operative preparation of the patients, meticulous surgical technique and post-operative chest physiotherapy reduces the rate of complications. Complications may still occur and are largely related to the underlying lung pathology; however, the long term outcome is good.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the trans-axillary surgical approach in patients with thoracic outlet syndrome. Methods: This retrospective study is comprised of data acquired from January 1998 until Oct 2008. Case histories of all the patients were reviewed from the Medical Records Department of Sher-i-Kashmir Institute. Relevant information and follow-up of the patients was carried out by examining the relevant clinical notes available by telephone interviews and personal contact whenever possible. All data was compiled and analyzed statistically. Results: There were a total of 139 patients. The female: male ratio was about 6:1. Pain was the most common presenting symptom followed by weakness and parasthesia. Nerve conduction velocity was abnormal in 111 patients. Twenty-eight patients had abnormal Doppler study of subclavian vessels. Preoperative symptoms persisted in 13 patients. Overall, 126 patients showed improvement in symptoms and no recurrence or persistence of symptoms on follow-up examination. Conclusion: Trans-axillary approach provides a good exposure and cosmesis in patients with thoracic outlet syndrome. It should be considered as the gold standard in the management of thoracic outlet syndrome.

Tumors of fibrous tissue origin (Fibromatosis) in chest and mediastinum have been rarely reported in the literature1,2,3,6,7,9. Bilateral pleural and mediastinal fibromatosis extending to neck along the tissue planes has not been reported in the English literature. Most are benign but 10-20% can undergo malignant transformation6. These tumors are initially asymptomatic but later on present with compressive symptoms as the size grows. The possibility of this rare entity should always be considered in patients with intrathoracic and/or mediastinal tumors. We present 2 cases who were difficult diagnostic problems.

Background: Popliteal artery injuries pose a serious threat to limb survival. Blunt trauma appears to be associated with a higher amputation rate than penetrating trauma, probably because of the more extensive nature of the injuries. Methods: Two hundred seventy-two cases of popliteal artery injury were studied retrospectively from 1989 to 2001, a warlike period in Kashmir. Preoperative angiography was not performed. Thirty-two percent of patients had associated venous injury and 24.6% of patients had associated bone fracture. Results: Overall morbidity was 55%, with the most common complication being infection (24%). Secondary amputation had to be performed in 16 patients (5.5%). The amputation rate was not influenced by cause of injury and type of repair or the presence of venous injury, but associated bone fracture significantly increased the risk of amputation (p < 0.05). The patients who underwent repair more than 12 hours after sustaining injury had a significantly greater amputation rate (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Prompt resuscitation, vascularization, and proper technique appear to be the only correctable factors that improve limb salvage.

Intrathymic parathyroid adenoma is a rare cause of persistent primary hyperparathyroidism. We encountered a case of intrathymic parathyroid adenoma, detected by computed tomographic scan and confirmed by Technetium-99 (Tc-99) Sestamibi scan and histology. The surgical approach included a median sternotomy and a large intrathymic parathyroid adenoma was identified and excised through the sternotomy. In this case, Tc-99 Sestamibi scan successfully localized a persistant abnormal tracer uptake in the mediastinum suggestive of mediastinal parathyroid adenoma. Although not recommended for routine preoperative evaluation, scintigraphy can be useful in the preoperative localization of ectopic parathyroid adenomas.

Metastatic malignancies to the hand, although rare, usually develop from lung, breast, and kidney tumors. Very rarely the origin is the gastrointestinal system. Metastases to the bones of the hand can cause pain, swelling, soft tissue ulceration, and osteolytic destruction. We present a patient with metastatic tumors to all digits of both hands 2.5 years after being operated on for esophageal carcinoma. The patient underwent amputation of the left little finger followed by systemic chemotherapy. The histopathological diagnosis was consistent with that of the primary tumor. This case is being presented for being the rarest of its kind and may even be the first of its nature in the world's literature as an extensive search has not shown another of its kind to date.

Primary oesophageal lymphoma is a very rare entity, with few reported cases worldwide. It represents an unusual cause of dysphagia. Primary oesophageal lymphomas that are not associated with an immunocompromised state tend to affect elderly patients. We describe a case of primary oesophageal lymphoma in a 41-year-old immunocompetent male, who presented with history of dysphagia. In our case, there were no manifestations of the disease outside the oesophagus, which is very rare. He was treated with oeophagectomy followed by chemotherapy.

Background There is a lot of controversy about the best surgical treatment for esophageal carcinoma. Methods In this retrospective study, 382 patients with carcinoma of the mid-to-distal esophagus underwent transthoracic or transhiatal esophagectomy. Early morbidity and mortality were compared. Principal endpoints were disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). Results A total of 177 patients underwent transthoracic esophagectomy, and 205 patients underwent transhiatal esophagectomy. Demographic characteristics and characteristics of the tumor were similar in the two groups. Perioperative and postoperative morbidity was higher after transhiatal esophagectomy. In-hospital mortality was also higher after transhiatal esophagectomy. The median follow-up was 4.3 years. Estimated 3-year DFS rates were 44.63 and 31.21%, whereas the 3-year OS rates were 57.06 and 41.46% for the transthoracic and transhiatal groups, respectively (statistically significant). Also, the estimated 5-year DFS rates were 26.55 and 21.46%, whereas the 5-year OS rates were 32.76 and 30.24% for the transthoracic and transhiatal groups, respectively (statistically not significant). Conclusions Transhiatal esophagectomy was associated with higher perioperative and postoperative morbidity and in-hospital mortality than transthoracic esophagectomy. The DFS and OS were higher in the transthoracic group and were statistically significant at 3 years but statistically insignificant at 5 years.

Cystic echinococcosis (hydatid cyst), caused by Echinococcus granulosus, has worldwide distribution and poses a health problem in endemic areas. Embolization of hydatid cysts into the vascular tree is an unusual manifestation of the disease. The hydatid embolism results from spontaneous or traumatic rupture of the cyst, and rare case reports of this kind are not well documented in the literature. We report a case of a hydatid embolism from a ruptured hydatid in a pseudoaneurysm of the thoracic aorta. A 45-year-old woman presented with gangrenous changes of the toes of her right foot. After embolectomy, the histopathology of the embolus was doubtful about its being blood clots around hydatid membranes. Postoperatively, computed tomography (CT) of the chest revealed a pseudoaneurysm of the descending thoracic aorta. Definitive surgery for the pseudoaneurysm was done during a second operation. Numerous hydatid cysts were evacuated from the pseudoaneurysm. This report emphasizes the need for an early diagnosis and treatment of echinococcosis before disabling and life-threatening complications occur.

Background: Myxomas are the most common type of cardiac tumors in all age groups, and symptoms are produced by mechanical interference with cardiac function or embolization. This study comprises the clinical profile, surgical approach, morbidity, mortality and recurrence rate of atrial myxomas in the Kashmir valley. Patients and Methods: The study was retrospective from January 1991 to July 2005 and prospective from August 2005 to December 2007. All patients admitted with the diagnosis of atrial myxomas were included in the study. Results: The study included 30 patients with a mean age of 52 ± 4.8 years. Females outnumbered males, with a ratio of 2.9:1. Dyspnea was the most common symptom on presentation, with majority of the patients belonging to New York Heart Association Class III (56.6%). Pre-operative diagnosis was established in all patients by echocardiography. Majority of myxomas, i.e. 22 (88%), arose from interatrial septum. Wide excision of tumor with polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE)/pericardial patch closure was the most common surgical procedure performed. Both early and late mortalities were 6.6%. In addition to clinical examination, periodic echocardiography was done on follow-up to detect recurrence, which was seen in one (3.3%) patient. Conclusions: Surgical management is curative with minimal early and late morbidity and mortality. Extensive resection of the myxoma attached to the atrial septum or atrial wall can reduce the likelihood of recurrence to a great extent, and long-term clinical and echocardiographic follow-up is mandatory.

Background/Aim: Precise evaluation of lymph node status is one of the most important factors in determining clinical outcome in treating gastro-intestinal (GI) cancer. Sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping clearly has become highly feasible and accurate in staging GI cancer. This study aims to investigate the feasibility and accuracy of detection of SLN using methylene blue dye in patients with carcinoma of the esophagus and assess its potential role in determining the rational extent of lymphadenectomy in esophageal cancer surgery. Materials and Methods: Thirty-two patients of esophageal cancer diagnosed on endoscopic biopsy were enrolled in this prospective study. After laparotomy, patent methylene blue was injected into the subserosal layer adjacent to the tumor. SLNs were defined as blue stained nodes within a period of 5 min. Standard radical esophagogastrectomy with lymphadenectomy was performed in all the patients. All the resected nodes were examined postoperatively by routine hematoxylin and eosin stain for elucidating the presence of metastasis, and the negative SLNs were examined further with cytokeratin immunohistochemical staining. Results: SLNs were detected in 26 (81.25%) patients out of 32 patients who were studied. The number of SLNs ranged from 1 to 4 with a mean value of 1.7 per case. The SLNs of esophageal cancer were only found in N1 area in 21 (80.77%) cases, and in N2 or N3 area in only 19.33%. The overall accuracy of the procedure was 75% in predicting nodal metastasis. SLN had a sensitivity of 85.71% in mid esophageal tumors and 93.33% in lower esophageal tumors. The SLN biopsy had sensitivity of 87.5% in the case of squamous cell carcinoma and 92.86% in the cases of adenocarcinoma of the esophagus. The accuracy of the procedure for squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma was 60% and 76.47%, respectively. Conclusion: SLN mapping is an accurate diagnostic procedure for detecting lymph node metastasis in patients with esophageal cancer and may indicate rational extent of lymphadenectomy in these patients. SLN mapping provides right nodes to the pathologists for detailed analysis and appropriate staging, thereby helping in individualizing the multi-modal treatment for esophageal cancer.