Fleissner, Zachary J.

ABSTRACT Pulmonary vein thrombosis (PVT) is an uncommon but potentially fatal condition that is often underdiagnosed due to nonspecific clinical presentation. We report a case of a 47‐year‐old woman with a thrombus in the right inferior pulmonary vein incidentally found during a robotic‐assisted bronchoscopy biopsy (RAB) and endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) performed for mediastinal evaluation and lymph node sampling. PVT was confirmed with computed tomography pulmonary angiography, and the patient was successfully treated with anticoagulation therapy. A review of the literature revealed that reports of PVT detected via EBUS are exceedingly rare and usually malignant in nature. To our knowledge, this is the first peer‐reviewed case report describing PVT identified incidentally during EBUS, underscoring the potential of this technique to reveal clinically significant vascular abnormalities.

Study Design. Literature review and institutional analysis. Objective. This review examines the potential advantages of awake spinal surgery under neuroaxial anesthesia in minimizing positioning-related complications compared with traditional general anesthesia. Summary of Background Data. Spinal surgeries performed in the prone position under general anesthesia are associated with perioperative complications, such as ocular injury and vision loss, nerve damage, and pressure ulcers. Materials and Methods. A comprehensive literature search was conducted for articles published from 1986 to 2023 focusing on awake spinal surgery and positioning-related complications. In addition, insights from the Mayo Clinic team were incorporated to assess the potential benefits of awake spine surgery. Results. The review identified several positioning-related complications associated with prone positioning during spine surgery, including perioperative visual loss, neuropathies, pressure ulcers, and intra-abdominal hypertension leading to systemic cardiovascular effects and potential organ dysfunction. Advances at the Mayo Clinic have enabled the use of awake spinal surgery under neuroaxial anesthesia for complex procedures such as robotic transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion. The use of awake lumbar spine surgery has demonstrated advantages, including reduced positioning-related complications, immediate patient feedback to avoid harmful maneuvers, shorter operating room times, and improved hemodynamic stability. Conclusions. Awake lumbar spine surgery offers notable advantages in reducing positioning-related complications and presents a promising alternative to general anesthesia.

Abstract Haemorrhagic pericardial cysts are rare and may be complicated by encasement of the heart, right heart failure and, rarely, cardiac cirrhosis. Surgical management of complicated cysts is challenging and has poor outcomes. We report a case of successful surgical management of a complicated pericardial cyst presenting with cardiac cirrhosis and the challenges associated with this condition.