Constrictive pleuropericarditis: a dominant clinical manifestation in Whipple’s disease

Background: Whipple’s disease is a rare, multisystemic, chronic infectious disease which classically presents as a wasting illness characterized by polyarthralgia, diarrhea, fever, and lymphadenopathy. Pleuropericardial involvement is a common pathologic finding in patients with Whipple’s disease, but rarely causes clinical symptoms. We report the first case of severe fibrosing pleuropericarditis necessitating pleural decortication in a patient with Whipple’s disease. Case presentation: Our patient, an elderly gentleman, had a chronic inflammatory illness dominated by constrictive pericarditis and later severe fibrosing pleuritis associated with a mildly elevated serum IgG4 level. A pericardial biopsy showed dense fibrosis without IgG4 plasmacytic infiltration. The patient received immunosuppressive therapy for possible IgG4-related disease. His poor response to this therapy prompted a re-examination of the diagnosis, including a request for the pericardial biopsy tissue to be stained for Tropheryma whipplei. Conclusions: Despite a high prevalence of pleuropericardial involvement in Whipple’s disease, constrictive pleuropericarditis is rare, particularly as the dominant disease manifestation. The diagnosis of Whipple’s disease is often delayed in such atypical presentations since the etiologic agent, Tropheryma whipplei, is not routinely sought in histopathology specimens of pleura or pericardium. A diagnosis of Whipple’s disease should be considered in middle-aged or elderly men with polyarthralgia and constrictive pericarditis, even in the absence of gastrointestinal symptoms. Although Tropheryma whipplei PCR has limited sensitivity and specificity, especially in the analysis of peripheral blood samples, it may have diagnostic value in inflammatory disorders of uncertain etiology, including cases of polyserositis. The optimal approach to managing constrictive pericarditis in patients with Whipple’s disease is uncertain, but limited clinical experience suggests that a combination of pericardiectomy and antibiotic therapy is of benefit

Robotic bronchoscopy for peripheral pulmonary lesions: A multicenter pilot and feasibility study (BENEFIT)

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of peripheral pulmonary lesions (PPL) continues to present clinical challenges. Despite extensive experience with guided bronchoscopy, the diagnostic yield has not improved significantly. Robotic-assisted bronchoscopic platforms have been developed potentially to improve the diagnostic yield for PPL. Presently, limited data exist that evaluate the performance of robotic systems in live human subjects. RESEARCH QUESTION: What is the safety and feasibility of robotic-assisted bronchoscopy in patients with PPLs? STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: This was a prospective, multicenter pilot and feasibility study that used a robotic bronchoscopic system with a mother-daughter configuration in patients with PPL 1 to 5 cm in size. The primary end points were successful lesion localization with the use of radial probe endobronchial ultrasound (R-EBUS) imaging and incidence of procedure related adverse events. Robotic bronchoscopy was performed in patients with the use of direct visualization, electromagnetic navigation, and fluoroscopy. After the use of R-EBUS imaging, transbronchial needle aspiration was performed. Rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE) was used on all cases. Transbronchial needle aspiration alone was sufficient when ROSE was diagnostic; when ROSE was not diagnostic, transbronchial biopsy was performed with the use of the robotic platform, followed by conventional guided bronchoscopic approaches at the discretion of the investigator. RESULTS: Fifty-five patients were enrolled at five centers. One patient withdrew consent, which left 54 patients for data analysis. Median lesion size was 23 mm (interquartile range, 15 to 29 mm). R-EBUS images were available in 53 of 54 cases. Lesion localization was successful in 51 of 53 patients (96.2%). Pneumothorax was reported in two of 54 of the cases (3.7%); tube thoracostomy was required in one of the cases (1.9 %). No additional adverse events occurred. INTERPRETATION: This is the first, prospective, multicenter study of robotic bronchoscopy in patients with PPLs. Successful lesion localization was achieved in 96.2% of cases, with an adverse event rate comparable with conventional bronchoscopic procedures. Additional large prospective studies are warranted to evaluate procedure characteristics, such as diagnostic yield. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov; No.: NCT03727425; URL: www.clinicaltrials.gov

Electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy in the European cohort of the prospective, multicenter NAVIGATE study

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Pleural Dye Marking of Lung Nodules by Electromagnetic Navigation Bronchoscopy

IntroductionElectromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy (ENB)‐guided pleural dye marking is useful to localize small peripheral pulmonary nodules for sublobar resection.ObjectiveTo report findings on the use of ENB‐guided dye marking among participants in the NAVIGATE study.MethodsNAVIGATE is a prospective, multicentre, global and observational cohort study of ENB use in patients with lung lesions. The current subgroup report is a prespecified 1‐month interim analysis of ENB‐guided pleural dye marking in the NAVIGATE United States cohort.ResultsThe full United States cohort includes 1215 subjects from 29 sites (April 2015 to August 2016). Among those, 23 subjects (24 lesions) from seven sites underwent dye marking in preparation for surgical resection. ENB was conducted for dye marking alone in nine subjects while 14 underwent dye marking concurrent with lung lesion biopsy, lymph node biopsy and/or fiducial marker placement. The median nodule size was 10 mm (range 4‐22) and 83.3% were <20 mm in diameter. Most lesions (95.5%) were located in the peripheral third of the lung, at a median of 3.0 mm from the pleura. The median ENB‐specific procedure time was 11.5 minutes (range 4‐38). The median time from dye marking to resection was 0.5 hours (range 0.3‐24). Dye marking was adequate for surgical resection in 91.3%. Surgical biopsies were malignant in 75% (18/24).ConclusionIn this study, ENB‐guided dye marking to localize lung lesions for surgery was safe, accurate and versatile. More information is needed about surgical practice patterns and the utility of localization procedures.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/151973/1/crj13077_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/151973/2/crj13077.pd

Fiducial marker placement with electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy: a subgroup analysis of the prospective, multicenter NAVIGATE study

Fiducial markers (FMs) help direct stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) and localization for surgical resection in lung cancer management. We report the safety, accuracy, and practice patterns of FM placement utilizing electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy (ENB). Methods: NAVIGATE is a global, prospective, multicenter, observational cohort study of ENB using the superDimension™ navigation system. This prospectively collected subgroup analysis presents the patient demographics, procedural characteristics, and 1-month outcomes in patients undergoing ENB-guided FM placement. Follow up through 24 months is ongoing. Results: Two-hundred fifty-eight patients from 21 centers in the United States were included. General anesthesia was used in 68.2%. Lesion location was confirmed by radial endobronchial ultrasound in 34.5% of procedures. The median ENB procedure time was 31.0 min. Concurrent lung lesion biopsy was conducted in 82.6% (213/258) of patients. A mean of 2.2 ± 1.7 FMs (median 1.0 FMs) were placed per patient and 99.2% were accurately positioned based on subjective operator assessment. Follow-up imaging showed that 94.1% (239/254) of markers remained in place. The procedure-related pneumothorax rate was 5.4% (14/258) overall and 3.1% (8/258) grade ⩾ 2 based on the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events scale. The procedure-related grade ⩾ 4 respiratory failure rate was 1.6% (4/258). There were no bronchopulmonary hemorrhages. Conclusion: ENB is an accurate and versatile tool to place FMs for SBRT and localization for surgical resection with low complication rates. The ability to perform a biopsy safely in the same procedure can also increase efficiency. The impact of practice pattern variations on therapeutic effectiveness requires further study

Electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy to access lung lesions in 1,000 subjects: first results of the prospective, multicenter NAVIGATE study

Background: Electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy (ENB) is an image-guided, minimally invasive approach that uses a flexible catheter to access pulmonary lesions.Methods: NAVIGATE is a prospective, multicenter study of the superDimensionTM navigation system. A prespecified 1-month interim analysis of the first 1,000 primary cohort subjects enrolled at 29 sites in the United States and Europe is described. Enrollment and 24-month follow-up are ongoing.Results: ENB index procedures were conducted for lung lesion biopsy (n = 964), fiducial marker placement (n = 210), pleural dye marking (n = 17), and/or lymph node biopsy (n = 334; primarily endobronchial ultrasound-guided). Lesions were in the peripheral/middle lung thirds in 92.7%, 49.7% were &lt;20 mm, and 48.4% had a bronchus sign. Radial EBUS was used in 54.3% (543/1,000 subjects) and general anesthesia in 79.7% (797/1,000). Among the 964 subjects (1,129 lesions) undergoing lung lesion biopsy, navigation was completed and tissue was obtained in 94.4% (910/964). Based on final pathology results, ENB-aided samples were read as malignant in 417/910 (45.8%) subjects and non-malignant in 372/910 (40.9%) subjects. An additional 121/910 (13.3%) were read as inconclusive. One-month follow-up in this interim analysis is not sufficient to calculate the true negative rate or diagnostic yield. Tissue adequacy for genetic testing was 80.0% (56 of 70 lesions sent for testing). The ENB-related pneumothorax rate was 4.9% (49/1,000) overall and 3.2% (32/1,000) CTCAE Grade ≥2 (primary endpoint). The ENB-related Grade ≥2 bronchopulmonary hemorrhage and Grade ≥4 respiratory failure rates were 1.0 and 0.6%, respectively.Conclusions: One-month results of the first 1,000 subjects enrolled demonstrate low adverse event rates in a generalizable population across diverse practice settings. Continued enrollment and follow-up are required to calculate the true negative rate and delineate the patient, lesion, and procedural factors contributing to diagnostic yield

Fiducial marker placement with electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy: a subgroup analysis of the prospective, multicenter NAVIGATE study

Fiducial markers (FMs) help direct stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) and localization for surgical resection in lung cancer management. We report the safety, accuracy, and practice patterns of FM placement utilizing electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy (ENB).Methods:NAVIGATE is a global, prospective, multicenter, observational cohort study of ENB using the superDimensionâ„¢ navigation system. This prospectively collected subgroup analysis presents the patient demographics, procedural characteristics, and 1-month outcomes in patients undergoing ENB-guided FM placement. Follow up through 24-‰months is ongoing.Results:Two-hundred fifty-eight patients from 21 centers in the United States were included. General anesthesia was used in 68.2%. Lesion location was confirmed by radial endobronchial ultrasound in 34.5% of procedures. The median ENB procedure time was 31.0-‰min. Concurrent lung lesion biopsy was conducted in 82.6% (213/258) of patients. A mean of 2.2 ± 1.7 FMs (median 1.0-‰FMs) were placed per patient and 99.2% were accurately positioned based on subjective operator assessment. Follow-up imaging showed that 94.1% (239/254) of markers remained in place. The procedure-related pneumothorax rate was 5.4% (14/258) overall and 3.1% (8/258) grade-‰â©¾-‰2 based on the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events scale. The procedure-related grade ⩾ 4 respiratory failure rate was 1.6% (4/258). There were no bronchopulmonary hemorrhages.Conclusion:ENB is an accurate and versatile tool to place FMs for SBRT and localization for surgical resection with low complication rates. The ability to perform a biopsy safely in the same procedure can also increase efficiency. The impact of practice pattern variations on therapeutic effectiveness requires further study

Robotic Bronchoscopy for Peripheral Pulmonary Lesions: A Multicenter Pilot and Feasibility Study (BENEFIT)

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of peripheral pulmonary lesions (PPL) continues to present clinical challenges. Despite extensive experience with guided bronchoscopy, the diagnostic yield has not significantly improved. Robotic assisted bronchoscopic platforms have been developed to potentially improve the diagnostic yield for PPL. Presently, limited data exists evaluating the performance of robotic systems in live human subjects. RESEARCH QUESTION: What is the safety and feasibility of robotic assisted bronchoscopy in patients with peripheral pulmonary lesions? STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: This was a prospective, multicenter pilot and feasibility study using a robotic bronchoscopic system with a mother-daughter configuration in patients with PPL 1-5cm in size. The primary endpoints were successful lesion localization using radial probe endobronchial ultrasound (R-EBUS) and incidence of procedure related adverse events. Robotic bronchoscopy was performed in patients using direct visualization, electromagnetic navigation and fluoroscopy. Following utilization of R-EBUS, transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) was performed. Rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE) was utilized on all cases. TBNA alone was sufficient when ROSE was diagnostic; when ROSE was non-diagnostic, transbronchial biopsy was performed using the robotic platform followed by conventional guided bronchoscopic approaches at the discretion of the investigator. RESULTS: Fifty-five patients were enrolled at five centers. One patient withdrew consent, leaving 54 patients for data analysis. Median lesion size was 23mm (IQR 15mm to 29mm). R-EBUS was available in 53/54 cases. Lesion localization was successful in 51/53 (96.2%) patients. Pneumothorax was reported in 2/54 (3.7%) of cases, requiring tube thoracostomy in 1/54 (1.9 %) case. No additional adverse events occurred. INTERPRETATION: This is the first, prospective, multicenter study of robotic bronchoscopy in patients with peripheral pulmonary lesions. Successful lesion localization was achieved in 96.2% of cases with an adverse event rate comparable to conventional bronchoscopic procedures. Additional large prospective studies are warranted to evaluate procedure characteristics such as diagnostic yield