Objective To explore the diagnosis and treatment strategies for elderly patients with ground-glass opacity (GGO) by reviewing the clinical data such as imaging features, surgical methods, postoperative pathological results and average hospital stay. MethodsThe imaging features and postoperative pathological findings of the elderly patients with pulmonary GGO in our hospital from January 2017 to December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into an elderly patient group and a non-elderly patient group based on their age. Results Finally 575 patients were included in the study. There were 281 elderly patients, including 83 males and 198 females, with an average age of 67.0±5.3 years. There were 294 non-elderly patients, including 88 males and 206 females, with an average age of 49.1±7.3 years. Compared with the non-elderly patients, elderly GGO patients showed the following distinct clinical features: the lesions were observed for a long time (P<0.001), the GGO margin was not smooth (P<0.001), the pleural signs (P<0.05) and bronchial signs (P<0.05) were obvious, there were more patients of type Ⅱ to Ⅳ GGO (P<0.001), more patients of lobectomy (P<0.05), and more patients of postoperative pathological reports of infiltrating lesions (P<0.05). There was no statistical difference in the average length of stay between the two groups (P>0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that GGO diameter and GGO type were the main factors affecting the operation. Observation time, GGO diameter and GGO type were the main influencing factors for postoperative pathological infiltrative lesions. The cut-off value of GGO diameter in predicting infiltrating lesions was 10.5 mm in the elderly group. Conclusion The size and type of GGO are important factors in predicting invasive lesions and selecting surgical methods. Elderly patients with radiographic manifestations of type Ⅱ to Ⅳ GGO lesions with a diameter greater than 10.5 mm should be closely followed.
ObjectiveTo analyze the clinical outcomes of extended thymectomy for myasthenia gravis (MG) patients under different surgical approaches, and to determine the factors affecting the prognosis of MG. MethodsThe MG patients who underwent extended thymectomy from January 2014 to March 2021 in our hospital were retrospectively collected. According to the surgical approach, they were divided into a subxiphoid group and an intercostal group, and the perioperative results and prognosis were compared between the two groups. A “good outcome” was defined as complete stable remission (CSR), pharmacological remission (PR) or minimal manifestations state (MMS); a “poor outcome” was defined as outcomes worse than MMS. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the factors associated with the good outcomes. ResultsA total of 187 MG patients were included in the study, including 82 males and 105 females, with a median age of 50 (36, 60) years. There were 134 patients in the intercostal group and 53 patients in the subxiphoid group. Compared with the intercostal group, although the operation time of the subxiphoid group was longer [200.0 (172.0, 232.0) min vs. 141.0 (118.0, 169.0) min, P<0.001], the intraoperative blood loss was less [10.0 (10.0, 20.0) mL vs. 20.0 (10.0, 50.0) mL, P<0.001], the postoperative hospital stay was shorter [3.0 (2.5, 4.0) d vs. 5.0 (3.0, 7.0) d, P<0.001], and the incidence of complications was lower [1 (1.9%) vs. 26 (19.4%), P=0.001]. A total of 159 (85.0%) patients were followed up for a median period of 46 (13, 99) months, with a good outcome rate of 90.6% and CSR rate of 33.3%. There were no statistical differences in PR, MMS or overall good outcome rates between the two groups (P>0.05). Multivariate logistic analysis showed that age≤50 years was an independent predictor for "good outcome" of MG patients. ConclusionExtended thymectomy via subxiphoid for MG is a safe, feasible and effective surgical approach.