The Great Migration of the Heart

Objectives: The position of heart and great vessels change after pneumonectomies. There are some studies specifically addressing this issue but the number of patients are limited. In this study we retrospectively analysed the deviation of the axis and the amount of migration of the heart after pneumonectomies.
 

Methods: The records of patients who underwent pneumonectomy due to non-small cell lung cancer between 2010 and 2015 were analysed retrospectively. The age, sex, operation site, axis of the heart and the amount of migration were calculated and recorded. The axis and the amount of migration were calculated by a thoracic radiologist experienced in chest radiology.
 

Results: After right pneumonectomies the axis deviation of the heart did not change significantly (48.200 vs 48.900 degrees, p=0.681). Whislt after left pneumonectomies the axis deviation of the heart changed significantly (46.71 vs 69.68 degrees, p=0.02). Heart migrated after both right and left pneumonectomies but the difference of migration did not differ between right or left pneumonectomies.
 

Conclusion: The preliminary results showed that the axis of the heart changed significantly after left pneumonectomies and the heart migrated in both right and left pneumonectomies. The results of the study will be published after reaching aimed number of the patients.