title: Evaluation of the surgical fat-filling procedure in the treatment of refractory cough after systematic mediastinal lymphadenectomy in patients with right lung cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To evaluate the efficacy of the surgical fat-filling procedure (SFFP) in the treatment of refractory cough and quality of life (QOL) after systematic mediastinal lymphadenectomy in patients with right lung cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a blinded, randomized, controlled clinical trial to evaluate refractory cough and QOL in patients after mediastinal lymphadenectomy for lung cancer. One hundred eligible lung cancer patients were randomly divided into two groups: the fat-filling group and non-filling group. In the fat-filling group, post-lymphadenectomy residual cavities (PLRCs) were filled with fatty tissue autografts after lymph node dissection. In the non-filling group, the PLRCs remained unfilled. Clinical endpoints were postoperative cough score and QOL.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The SFFP did not increase intraoperative bleeding, extend operation time, or hospital stay. Further, night cough was significantly improved after 4 wk in the fat-filling group after the removal of a chest drainage tube. QOL issues, such as emotional condition, functional status, and additional concerns, demonstrated a remarkable improvement in the fat-filling group at postoperative 1 mo compared with the non-filling (control) group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study demonstrates that filling PLRCs with fatty tissue autografts is a safe and partially effective treatment for refractory cough after major pulmonary resection and mediastinal lymphadenectomy. This novel procedure significantly improved patient QOL and may prove useful as a relatively safe preventive surgical adjunct operation for refractory cough.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Lung Tumor Clinical Medical Center and Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Lung Tumor Clinical Medical Center and Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: huangjiadragon@126.com.
authors.forename: Qingquan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Lung Tumor Clinical Medical Center and Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Lung Tumor Clinical Medical Center and Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Lung Tumor Clinical Medical Center and Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Liqiang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Qian
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Lung Tumor Clinical Medical Center and Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Zhengping
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ding
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000637:transplantation*; D000368:Aged; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000601:surgery*; D003371:Cough / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D008197:Lymph Node Excision / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008482:Mediastinum / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D011013:Pneumonectomy / Q000379:methods; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Lung cancer; Mediastinal lymphadenectomy; Quality of life; Refractory cough; Surgical fat-filling procedure