ObjectiveTo summarize surgical experience and explore the best treatment strategy for the management of complicated mediastinitis after cardiac surgery. MethodsClinical data of 18 patients who received vascularized muscle flap transposition combined with negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT)for the treatment of complicated mediastinitis after cardiac surgery in one stage in the Department of Cardiac Surgery of Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University between June 2006 and December 2012 were retrospective analyzed. There were 12 male and 6 female patients with their average age of 65.5±8.2 years. The average interval between cardiac surgery and vascularized muscle flap reconstruction was 12.5±5.8 days. ResultsPostoperatively, 1 patient died of recurrent mediastinitis, sepsis and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. Seventeen patients had an uneventful postoperative recovery and one-stage wound healing. Postoperative hospital stay was 18.6±7.2 days and wound healing time was 4.5±2.4 weeks. All the 17 patients were followed up for over 6 months, no recurrent mediastinitis was observed, and they had a good quality of life. ConclusionVascularized muscle flap transposition combined with NPWT is a simple and effective surgical strategy for the treatment of complicated mediastinitis after cardiac surgery in one-stage.
ObjectiveTo explore the etiology, clinical manifestation, computed tomography (CT) manifestations, pathological character, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and treatment of fibrous mediastinitis in China.MethodsThe clinical data of a patient with fibrous mediastinitis admitted to Hospital of Sichuan Provincial Armed Police Force were retrospectively analyzed and the related literature was reviewed. A literature research was performed with " fibrous mediastinitis, mediastinal fibrosis, sclerosing mediastinitis, chronic mediastinitis ”as the Chinese key word in WanFang database and China national knowledge internet, and " fibrous mediastinitis, mediastinal fibrosis, fibrosis of mediastinum, fibrosing mediastinitis, sclerosing mediastinitis, chronic mediastinitis” as English key words in PubMed database. The time interval was from January 1980 to December 2016.ResultsThe patient was a 59 year old male, whose chest CT scan showed soft tissue density in pulmonary hilar and mediastina, with bronchus truncation and obvious stenosis of pulmonary artery in hilar. Literature review found 12 related articles reporting 37 cases of fibrous mediastinitis in China. Fifteen cases were caused by tuberculosis infection presumably, and 9 cases were idiopathic mediastinal fibrosis. The common clinical manifestations were cough, dyspnea, chest tightness and pain, fever, and edema. CT manifested soft tissue density in pulmonary hilar and mediastina, which were diffuse in 32 cases. Trachea and bronchus were involved in 26 cases, while pulmonary artery in 29 cases, pulmonary vein in 13 cases, plural effusion in 16 cases, and vena cava and its branch in 8 cases. Other involved regions were described in 18 cases, including aorta and its branch in 4 cases, esophagus in 1 case, and there were pericardial effusion in 6 cases. Fourteen cases had pathology results.ConclusionsThe most common etiological factor of fibrous mediastinitis in China is tuberculosis infection, secondly idiopathic mediastinal fibrosis. Clinical manifestation is nonspecific. mostly diffuse, surrounding bronchus, esophagus and blood vessels in hilar and mediastina, and sometimes infiltrating into pericardium and pleurae. Its pathological character is proliferation of fibrous tissue, with proliferation of lymphocytes, and without envelope. The diagnosis depends on CT and pathology. Corticosteroid is considered to treat idiopathic mediastinal fibrosis, while surgery and vascular interventional therapy may improve symptoms of vascular compression in mediastina.