Volume 61, Issue 2, February 2022

Artificial intelligence (AI) is now ubiquitous but has only recently begun to be utilized in health care [1, 2].

With an increasing application of thin-section computed tomography (CT) scan for the diagnosis of lung cancer [1], more and more lung nodules characterized by ground-glass opacity (GGO) are being detected in daily practice.

Oesophageal cancer is the seventh most common cancer and the fourth most common cause of cancer-related mortality in East Asia [1].

For patients with locally advanced stage III non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), multimodality treatment remains the standard of care [1, 2].

Positron emission tomography (PET) with [18F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (FDG) is one of the recent radiological advances.

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) anatomical lobectomy for lung cancer, initially described in 1992 [1, 2], is the standard approach for lung resection in many centres due to reduced postoperative pain, faster recovery, fewer complications and better quality of life compared to conventional thoracotomy [3].

Cerebral perfusion of infants with congenital heart defects is a critical determinant of successful cardiac surgery.

Acute thoracic aortic dissection is a devastating disease with a reported incidence of 5–7 cases per 100 000 person-years in the general population [1, 2].

More than 260 000 global deaths were attributed to congenital heart disease (CHD) in the year 2017, 69% of which occurred in infants [1].

In the Norwood procedure, the large main pulmonary artery is connected to the hypoplastic aorta to warrant unrestrictive output to the systemic circulation.

Since its first description in 1971, the Fontan operation has enabled thousands of children to survive life-threatening congenital heart diseases and reach adulthood.

After its initial clinical implementation in the late 1990s, thoracic endovascular aortic repair rapidly became established as the first-choice therapy for many thoracic aortic pathologies.

Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) has been proven to have substantial early benefits in terms of perioperative morbidity and mortality and is at least as effective in preventing aortic-related death (ARM) as open surgical repair for descending thoracic aortic aneurysms (DTAA) [1–4].

Ascending thoracic aortic aneurysms (ATAAs) affect 10/100 000 persons per year and are associated with an increased risk of aortic dissection or rupture [1].

Acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) is a life-threatening condition, where rapid diagnosis and therapy is mandatory to prevent adverse outcome.

Population-based studies suggest that diabetes mellitus has a protective effect on aortic aneurysm formation [1, 2], possibly via actions attributable to the antidiabetic agent Metformin.

Dilatation of the ascending aorta (AA) often develops without any clinically significant symptoms, making it difficult to detect.

Increased lung transplants (LTxs) and improved survival have led to the need for retransplants (ReTxs) because ∼50% of these recipients suffer from chronic lung allograft rejection by 5 years [1, 2].

Within the last decades, an evident trend toward an increased use of bioprosthetic valves in patients undergoing surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) has been observed [1].

Valvular heart disease is a common diagnosis with an approximate prevalence of 2.5% of the total population having moderate-to-severe valvular heart disease, resulting in significant reduction in the quality of life for those patients affected [1, 2].

Robotic off-pump totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass (TECAB) is the least invasive form of surgical coronary revascularization.

Society of Cardiothoracic Surgery (Great Britain and Ireland) (SCTS) was one of the first societies in the world to start reporting cardiac surgical outcome data in 1977 [1].

Revascularization completeness and preserved graft patency determine long-term success after coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) [1].

Papillary muscle rupture (PMR) is an infrequent but life-threatening mechanical complication (MC) of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) [1].

In patients with indication for aortic valve replacement (AVR), current guidelines recommend concomitant supracommissural replacement of the ascending aorta (scAAR) once the diameter reaches 45 mm, or earlier if rapid diameter progression is present [1–4].

Aortic arch reconstructions also addressing the descending aorta remain challenging.