Life-threatening giant esophageal neurofibroma with severe tracheal stenosis: a case report

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as life-saving bridge for patients with airway obstruction caused by neck and chest tumors to salvage procedure: an in-depth review

Narrowed or stenotic airways are frequently encountered in emergency practice. Neck and chest tumors-caused airway obstruction usually follow a severe clinical course, necessitating urgent ventilation as a bridge to perform emergency operations. In certain cases, traditional ventilation methods may not safely address complicated airway conditions. In such instances, special cardiopulmonary support becomes necessary to manage both hemodynamics and ventilation for patients. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is considered a last resort treatment for respiratory failure. When dealing with emergency difficult airway situations, ECMO offers certain advantages over conventional ventilation. However, its effectiveness in managing airway obstruction due to solid tumors located in the neck or chest is not well-established due to limited clinical practice. Published articles about this topic are still limited and primarily rely on case series and reports. As a result, they offer insufficient data and illustrations to fully elucidate emergency issues. In the present article, the authors summarize the existing literature concerning ECMO utility in managing patients with airway obstruction due to solid tumor located in the neck or chest based on PubMed, Web of Science, and other medical databases, to conduct an in-depth review. The authors conducted an analysis of 27 studies, including a total of 54 patients with airway obstruction caused by tumors. All patients underwent surgical relief of airway obstruction with ECMO as ventilatory support. Postoperatively, 87% of the patients (47/54) survived. 7.4% of the patients (4/54) died due to postoperative disease progression, unrelated to ECMO complications. The prognosis of 5.6% of the patients (3/54) could not be obtained. Additionally, the authors present an interesting case series (n=5) based on a real-world research to demonstrate the different outcomes among airway-obstructed patients due to neck and chest masses. In this series, four patients supported by ECMO were successfully discharged postoperatively, while one patient on conventional ventilation died due to respiratory collapse before surgery. Meanwhile, the authors share novel illustrations and clinical figures to supplement the understanding of this condition. The findings presented in this article provide a basis for further studies and can be used to improve management of the patients.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation bridging for chemotherapy in obstructing mediastinal mass after cardiopulmonary arrest

BACKGROUND

In a sedated patient, airway compression by a large mediastinal mass can cause acute fatal cardiopulmonary arrest. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been investigated to protect the airway and provided cardiopulmonary stability. The use of ECMO in the management of mediastinal masses was reported, however, the management complicated by cardiopulmonary arrest is poorly documented.

CASE PRESENTATION

32-year-old female presented with acute onset of left arm swelling and subacute onset of dry cough. Further investigation showed a deep venous thrombosis in left upper extremity as well as a large mediastinal mass. She underwent mediastinoscopy with biopsy of the mass which was complicated by cardiopulmonary arrest secondary to airway obstruction by the mediastinal mass. Venoarterial ECMO was initiated, while concurrently treating with a chemotherapy. The mediastinal mass responded to the chemotherapy and reduced in size during 2 days of ECMO support. She was extubated successfully and decannulated after 2 days of ECMO and discharged later.

CONCLUSIONS

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation can serve as a viable strategy to facilitate cardiopulmonary support while concurrently treating the tumor with chemotherapy, ultimately allowing for the recovery of cardiopulmonary function, and achieving satisfactory outcomes.

Challenges and pitfalls in the perioperative management of mediastinal mass syndrome: an up-to-date review

The perioperative management of patients undergoing mediastinal mass operations presents a persistent challenge across multiple clinical specialties. General anesthesia administration further increases the risk of perioperative cardiorespiratory decompensation. The interdisciplinary team plays a crucial role in ensuring a safe perioperative period. However, due to the rarity and variability of mediastinal mass syndromes, specific management protocols are lacking. This review aims to outline the multitude of challenges and pitfalls encountered during perioperative management in patients with the mediastinal mass syndrome. We describe diagnostic evaluation, preoperative optimization, intraoperative considerations, and postoperative care strategies, emphasizing the paramount significance of a multidisciplinary approach and personalized treatment plans. Preoperative multidisciplinary discussions, meticulous anesthetic management, and well-established protocols for emergency situations are pivotal to ensuring patient safety. Healthcare providers involved in the care of patients with mediastinal mass syndrome must grasp these challenges and pitfalls, enabling them to deliver safe and effective perioperative management.

The Heimlich maneuver and chest compression relieve mask ventilation difficulties caused by asymptomatic laryngeal mass: A case report and review of literature

RATIONALE

Some laryngeal masses are typically asymptomatic and easily ignored. However, they can be rare causes of unanticipated difficult airway, leading to critical situations such as "cannot ventilate" or "cannot ventilate and cannot intubate" during anesthesia induction. Inappropriate airway management in such scenarios can have catastrophic consequences for an anesthetized patient. Here we report a case of sudden, unanticipated difficult mask ventilation caused by an asymptomatic supraglottic mass during sedative induction, which was quickly and effectively relieved by the Heimlich maneuver and chest compression.

PATIENT CONCERNS

We report a rare case of airway crisis occurred during sedative induction in a 63-year-old patient scheduled for a routine flexible bronchoscopy, and no evidence of respiratory difficulty or signs of obstruction was found in preoperative evaluation.

DIAGNOSES

A detailed examination of laryngopharyngeal structure under bronchoscopy revealed a supraglottic soft-tissue mass with a size of 1.6 × 0.8 cm covering the membranous part of the glottic area, which was the true cause of difficult mask ventilation in this patient during sedative induction.

INTERVENTIONS

As the unanticipated difficult mask ventilation occurred, 2-handed mask ventilation was initiated immediately for 9 attempts but failed. Fortunately, the airway crisis was successfully relieved with 2 Heimlich attempts and 3 chest compressions, and no need for a laryngeal mask airway.

OUTCOMES

Once the airway crisis was relieved and the supraglottic mass was confirmed, the patient underwent a second sedative anesthesia and a successful laryngeal mask airway-assisted bronchoscopy, with no post-bronchoscopy adverse events.

LESSONS

Asymptomatic supraglottic masses can cause valve-like upper airway obstruction and lead to unanticipated difficult mask ventilation. The Heimlich maneuver and chest compression may be effective in such critical situations and can serve as an emergency intervention.

[Risky confirmation of a diagnosis: case series of three female patients with mediastinal mass syndrome]

Mediastinal mass syndrome (MMS) is a life-threatening complication of anesthesia for which prevention and treatment are a complication-prone interdisciplinary task. Clinical symptoms vary from asymptomatic patients up to life-threatening cardiorespiratory impairments, depending on the extent and size of a mediastinal tumor as well as the involvement of corresponding anatomical structures. Especially in the context of sedation or general anesthesia, there is a considerable risk of acute cardiopulmonary or respiratory decompensation related to tumor-induced compression of central blood vessels or even the large airways, which may result in severe complications, including death. In this case series three female patients are presented, who were each referred to this hospital with a mediastinal tumor for interventional or surgical confirmation of the diagnosis. Based on the case histories, characteristic complications are demonstrated and strategies to avoid possible adverse events of MMS are discussed. The specific anesthesiological requirements for MMS, the safety aspects of the choice of surgical and anesthesia procedures, circulatory and airway management for the required single-lung ventilation, and various aspects of the selection of the anesthetic agents are discussed in this case series.

Safety and Efficacy of Endoscopic Treatment of Solitary Gastric Neurofibroma

PURPOSE

The studies on solitary gastric neurofibroma (GN) consist of only individual case reports, with little data and relevant information. We aimed to summarize the clinical features, endoscopic features, imaging findings, and pathological features and study the safety and efficacy of endoscopic treatment of solitary GN.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We retrospectively collected and analyzed clinical data of patients who underwent endoscopic treatment in Department of Gastroenterology of a well-known tertiary hospital from August 2007 to September 2019 and were accurately diagnosed as having solitary GN.

RESULTS

A total of 788 patients with gastric submucosal tumors underwent endoscopic treatment, among whom 11 patients were found to have solitary GNs. The incidence of solitary GNs was 1.4%. All 11 patients were treated with endoscopy. Five patients underwent endoscopic full-thickness resection (EFTR) and six patients underwent endoscopic submucosal excavation (ESE). The en bloc resection rate of the 11 lesions was 100.0%. The median endoscopic operation time was 80 minutes. Average length of hospital stay was 6.4 ± 1.6 days. The median follow-up time was 29 months. No recurrence, distant metastasis, or disease-related death occurred during the follow-up.

CONCLUSION

EFTR and ESE can serve as feasible, safe, and effective treatments for solitary GN.

Surgical treatment for esophageal neurofibroma: report of two cases and review of literature

BACKGROUND

Neurofibroma of the esophagus, originated from the nerve sheath cells and fibroblasts of the esophageal submucosal plexus or the intestinal intermuscular plexus, is a very rare mesenchymal tumor. Most of the cases are treated by surgical methods. Due to the technical complexity of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), there are few reports in the literature of VATS for esophageal neurofibroma in recent years.

CASE PRESENTATION

We report on two rare cases of esophageal neurofibroma, one of which is a 52-year-old male patient diagnosed with a 4.6 × 5.7 cm upper esophageal submucosal tumor in physical examination. He was admitted to our hospital and the tumor was enucleated by VATS combined with intraoperative endoscopy. There were no complications after operation, and the patients was discharged on the 16th postoperative day. The other patient was a 76-year-old man, with the main clinical manifestation of dysphagia for over 1 year, diagnosed with an 8.0 × 6.0 × 8.0 cm giant subepithelial mass in the lower esophagus. As the intraoperative exploration revealed the tumor connected tightly with the wall of the esophagus, this patient treated by transthoracic partial esophagectomy. The patient was discharged on the 14th postoperative day, and no signs of post-operative complication during the 53-month follow-up. The diagnosis of esophageal neurofibroma was based on these patients' postoperative pathological examination. In the latest follow-up, these two patients had no evidence of long-term postoperative complication and recurrence.

CONCLUSION

This is the first reported case of 5 cm in diameter esophageal neurofibroma treated by VATS. This technique can be a commendable treatment option for esophageal neurofibroma, and the tumor diameter is not an absolute contraindication for thoracoscopy. To reduce the unnecessary damage, surgical method for complete tumor resection needs to be determined according to preoperative imaging and intraoperative conditions, partial esophagectomy can be performed via thoracotomy or thoracoscopy for removing neurofibroma when necessary.

ECMO and adult mediastinal masses

The role of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is expanding as surgeons look at its utility beyond rescue treatment and have started adopting it for high-risk procedures to provide temporary airway and hemodynamic stabilization. ECMO needs to be deliberated in all patients with mediastinal masses who have compromised airways as well as in those with compression of heart and great vessels. There is a dearth of literature highlighting the definitive role of ECMO in patients with mediastinal masses. This article reviews the available adult literature and highlights the possible situations where the use of ECMO would be supportive in the management of patients with mediastinal masses.

Understanding esophageal neurofibroma: A case series and systematic review

INTRODUCTION

Esophageal neurofibroma is a rare benign esophageal neoplasm. With very few cases documented in the literature, not much is known about the demographics and clinicopathologic features of this tumor. This study was aimed at presenting a case report of an esophageal neurofibroma, and to conduct a systematic review of published cases.

METHOD

This review was performed according to the PRISMA guidelines. Literature search was conducted through PubMed, SCOPUS, and Cochrane Databases from inception until May 2020 for all histologically confirmed cases of esophageal neurofibroma.

RESULTS

28 cases, including the newly reported case, were included in the review. The mean age at diagnosis was 53.3 years ±12.1. 53.6% were male. Dysphagia was the most common presenting symptom (53.6%). Most of the reported cases involved the upper esophagus (39.3%). The most utilized diagnostic test was esophagogastroduodenoscopy (57.1%). The mean tumor size was 6.1 cm ± 5.1. Preoperative biopsy was done for 9 cases, out of which seven were negative or inconclusive. In 17 cases (60.7%), immunohistochemical (IHC) staining of the resected tumor was not performed. S100 was the most utilized IHC stain. Enucleation (39.3%) was the most common treatment, followed by esophagectomy (28.6%).

CONCLUSION

Esophageal neurofibroma should be considered in the setting of dysphagia caused by a subepithelial tumor. Accurate preoperative histologic diagnosis by using a well-defined biopsy algorithm, in conjunction with IHC analysis, will favor less aggressive surgical treatment and surveillance of asymptomatic lesions. Minimally invasive surgical treatment is feasible and should be considered when the expertise is available.