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Background Thoracoscopic thymectomy is increasingly performed for the treatment of early stage thymoma. It is characterized by shorter postoperative hospital stay, decreased intraoperative blood loss, and fewer complications compared with transsternal thymectomy. Unilateral video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) thymectomy can be easily performed from either side of the thorax, because thymus is located in the middle of mediastinum. However, the side that provides better outcomes remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of right and left approaches in performing unilateral thoracoscopic thymectomy for thymoma. Methods Consecutive patients affected by thymoma who underwent VATS thymectomy on either side between February 2001 and March 2020 were enrolled in the study. Clinicopathologic, surgical, and oncological outcomes were retrospectively analyzed and compared among the two surgical approaches. Results Unilateral VATS approaches were performed on 29 patients: 12 (41%) on the left side and 17 (59%) on the right side. The mean age was 63.1 ± 11.3 years and the female/male ratio was 1.73:1. The mean operative time and the hospital stay for the left-side VATS and right-side VATS groups were, respectively, 168 ± 49.5 versus 171 ± 47.9 minutes (p = 0.9) and 3 ± 1.03 days versus 3.65 ± 1.93 days (p = 0.7). Postoperative complications occurred in one patient (3%) for left-side VATS group and one patient (3%) for right-side VATS. The 5-year disease-free survival was comparable between two groups (p = 0.74). Conclusion Unilateral VATS thymectomy in patients with thymoma can be safely and effectively performed by experienced surgeons in either side of the thorax with equivalent oncological outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mesenteric ischemia is an infrequent diagnosis, although it carries substantial morbidity and mortality. In adults, the massive resection of small bowel leaving less than 150 cm of intestine results in malabsorption and diarrhoea and defines the short bowel syndrome (SBS). In this report, we present a case of emergency surgery with a near total enterectomy due to superior mesenteric ischemia with a long time of survival. KEY WORDS: Case report, General surgery, Mesenteric ischemia, Small intestine.

An abnormally elevated rate of Hodgkin's lymphoma was reported in 2001 among Italian soldiers in Bosnia and Kosovo since 1995: a surveillance system was therefore set up for the military community. Preliminary results for a longer period (1996-2007) have shown incidence rates lower than expected for all malignancies. No significant difference was registered between observed and expected cases of Hodkin's lymphoma: the excess of reported cases for this malignancy in 2001-2002 was probably due to a peak occurred in 2000 among the whole military; it is therefore unrelated to deployment in the Balkans, and probably represents a chance event. Moreover, a significant excess of thyroid cancer was reported among the whole military.The estimated number of incident cases, including those missed by the surveillance system, was not significantly higher than expected for all cancers; conversely, the estimated incidence rate of thyroid cancer was significantly increased; this excess, however, is probably due to a selection bias.These data concerning cancer surveillance in the Italian military are consistent with lacking evidence of an increased cancer incidence among troops of other countries deployed in the areas of Iraq, Bosnia, and Kosovo, where armour penetrating depleted uranium shells have been used. However, a comprehensive assessment of cancer morbidity in the military requires a revision of the privacy regulations, in order to link individual records of military personnel and data bases of the National Health Service.