Abstract： Objective To evaluate the safety, feasibility, and clinical outcome of complete video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery （VATS） lobectomy for patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer （NSCLC）. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 160 consecutive patients（the VATS group, 83 males and 77 females with average age at 60.8 years）with early-stage NSCLC who underwent complete VATS lobectomy between January 2005 andDecember 2008 in Zhongshan Hospital of Fudan University，and compared them with 357 patients（the thoracotomy group, 222 males and 135 females with average age at 59.5 years）who underwent open thoracotomy in the same period. Results The conversion rate of the VATS group was 5.0%（8/160）. The operation time of the VATS group was significantly shorter than that of the thoracotomy group（113.0 min vs.125.0 min, P=0.039）. Length of postoperative hospital stay was not statistically different between the two groups（10.3±4.3 d vs.9.1±4.6 d，P=0.425）. The postoperative morbidity of the VATS lobectomy group and the thoracotomy group was 9.4%（15/160）and 10.1% （36/357） respectively，and the postoperative mortality of the two groups was 0.6%（1/160）and 2.0%（7/357）respectively. There was no statistical difference in the mean group of lymph node dissection （2.4±1.5 groups vs.2.4±1.7 groups，P=0.743） and the mean number of lymph node dissection （9.8±6.3 vs.10.1±6.4，P=0.626） between the two groups. The overall 5-year survival rate of the VATS group was significantly higher than that of the thoracotomy group （81.5% vs.67.8%, P=0.001）. Subgroup analysis showed that the 5-year survival rate of pⅠa stage, pⅠb stage, and pⅢa stage was 86.0%, 84.5%, and 58.8% respectively in the VATS group, and 92.9%, 76.4%, and 25.3% respectively in the thoracotomy group. Conclusion Complete VATS lobectomy is technically safe and feasible for patients with early-stage NSCLC. The lymph node dissection extension of complete VATS lobectomy is similar to that of open thoracotomy, and long-term outcome of complete VATS lobectomy is superior to that of open thoracotomy. Randomized controlled trials of large sample size are further needed to demonstrate superiority.
ObjectiveTo increase the advantage and decrease the disadvantage of posterior approach for uniportal video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) right upper lobectomy.MethodsData of 97 consecutive patients who received uniportal VATS right upper lobectomy using posterior approach in the semiprone position were retrospectively analyzed from Dec, 2014 to Dec, 2017. There were 41 males and 56 females at age of 26–79 (57.8±10.6) years. The hilar structure was cut from posterior to anterior one by one. The mediastinal lymph nodes were dissected if lung cancer was diagnosed.ResultsNinety three of 97 patients were successfully completed with uniportal VATS right upper lobectomy using posterior approach, 3 of them were completed with posterior approach combined with anterior approach, and 1 of them needed thoracotomy. The mean operative time was 76–192 (127.0±32.0) min. The thoracic drainage time was 2–20 (3.4±2.7) d. The postoperative length of hospital stay was 3–23 (5.4±3.1) d. There were postoperative complications in 7 patients and no postoperative mortality.ConclusionPosterior approach for uniportal video-assisted thoracic surgery right upper lobectomy is safe and feasible, which can decrease the fatigue of both the surgeon and the assistant. It also provides with better exposure of posterior mediastinum, less dragging lung, and less interference of the instruments and help keep the clear surgical field. In complicated cases, posterior approach could combine with anterior approach to complete the VATS lobectomy.
Objective To explore the minimal invasiveness and practability of combined video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) with two trocars and endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) in the treatment of esophageal leiomyoma. Methods Between February 2007 and February 2012, we retrospectively analysed the clinical data of 166 patients who underwent various surgeries for the treatment of esophageal leiomyoma. Among them, 62 received routine thoracotomy (group A), 49 accepted conventional VATS surgery with three trocars (group B), and 55 underwent combined VATS surgery with two trocars and EUS (group C). Then, we summarized the clinical indexes of patients in all the three groups for further comparative analysis. Results There was no significant difference among the three groups in age, gender, and lesion location, origin level and size (P > 0.05). There were significant differences between group A and C in blood loss, surgery time, intraoperative localization, postoperative incision pain, hospitalization expenses, length of hospital stay, fasting time, pulmonary infection, and the complications during the follow-up (P < 0.05). There were significant differences between group C and B in blood loss, surgery time, intraoperative localization, fasting time and pulmonary infection (P < 0.05). Conclusion Combined VATS surgery with two trocars and EUS is safe, minimally invasive, thorough with few complications, which is worthy of clinical promotion.
ObjectiveTo investigate the safety and feasibility of thoracoscopic lobectomy without mechanical suture.MethodsThe data of 28 consecutive patients (a non-mechanical suture group, 16 males and 12 females at age of 61.23±11.10 years) who underwent non-mechanical suture anatomic thoracoscopic lobectomy performed by the same surgeon from March 2015 to March 2018 were analyzed retrospectively, and 28 patients (18 males and 10 females at age of 59.45±13.39 years) who underwent completely anatomic thoracoscopic lobectomy with endoscopic stapler (a mechanical suture group) in the same period were matched. The clinical effectiveness of the two groups was compared.ResultsThe operation time between the non-mechanical suture group (136.30±53.46 min) and the mechanical suture group (109.63±44.61 min) showed a statistical difference (P<0.05). While in term of intraoperative bleeding volume (65.00 ml vs. 50.00 ml), postoperative thoracic drainage time (3.73 days vs. 3.56 days), thoracic drainage volume (538.60 ml vs. 563.70 ml), postoperative hospital stay (5.58 days vs. 5.35 days) and postoperative complication rate (5/28 vs. 6/28), there was no statistical difference between the two groups. Hospitalization expense was significantly different between the two groups (35 438.30 yuan vs. 51 693.60 yuan).ConclusionNon-mechanical suture thoracoscopic anatomic lobectomy is safe and feasible, and can significantly reduce the medical cost but prolong the operation time.
ObjectiveTo investigate the changes in pulmonary function after video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) and robot-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS) segmentectomy.MethodsA total of 59 patients (30 males and 29 females) who underwent segmentectomy in the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University from July to October 2017 were included. There were 33 patients (18 males and 15 females) in the VATS group and 26 patients (12 males and 14 females) in the RATS group. Lung function tests were performed before surgery, 1 month, 6 months, and 12 months after surgery. Intra- and inter-group comparisons of lung function retention values were performed between the two groups of patients to analyze differences in lung function retention after VATS and RATS segmentectomy.ResultsThe forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) in the VATS group and the RATS group were significantly lower than those before surgery (P<0.05), and they increased significantly within 6 months after surgery (P<0.05). The recovery was not obvious after 6 months (P>0.05), and they were still lower than those before surgery. In addition, the retentions of FEV1 and FVC in the VATS group and the RATS group were similar in 1 month, 6 months, and 12 months after operation with no statistical difference(P>0.05). ConclusionPulmonary function decreases significantly in 1 month after minimally invasive segmentectomy, and the recovery is obvious in 6 months after the operation, then the pulmonary function recovery gradually stabilizes 12 months after surgery. FEV1 of the patients in the two groups recovers to 93% and 94%, respectively. There is no statistical difference in pulmonary function retention after VATS and RATS segmentectomy.
ObjectiveTo investigate the feasibility,safety and short-term clinical outcomes of complete videoassisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomy for patients with early-stage lung cancer (LC). MethodsClinical data of 138 consecutive patients with early-stage LC who underwent lobectomy in the First People's Hospital of Jining from January 2012 to May 2013 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 71 patients undergoing complete VATS lobectomy including 39 male and 32 female patients with their age of 57.9±10.6 years (VATS group) and 67 patients undergoing lobectomy via traditional thoracotomy including 36 male and 31 female patients with their age of 60.3±8.2 years (thoracotomy group). Operation time,intraoperative blood loss, groups and number of lymph node dissection,thoracic drainage duration, postoperative hospital stay,vision analogue scores (VAS) on the 1st,3rd and 30th postoperative day, and postoperative morbidity were compared between the 2 groups. ResultsAll the patients in both groups success fully received their operation. Intraoperative blood loss (147±113 ml vs. 146±91 ml) number of lymph node dissection (9.9±3.6 vs. 10.0±3.6) group of lymph node dissection (3.1±1.3 vs. 3.4±1.3) and VAS on the 1st and 3rd postoperative day of VATS group were not statistically different from those of the thoracotomy group (P>0.05). Operation time (119±27 minutes vs. 135±29 minutes) thoracic drainage duration (3.0±0.9 days vs. 3.8±1.2 days) postoperative hospital stay (8.0±2.1 days vs. 10.2±5.4 days) VAS on the 30th postoperative day (2.6±0.7 vs. 3.2±1.1) and postoperative morbidity (8.5% vs. 19.4%) of VATS group were significantly shorter or lower than those of the thoracotomy group (P<0.05). Fifty-nine patients in VATS group and 58 patients in the thoracotomy group were followed up for 2-18 months after disc harge. During follow-up,there was no death in either group. There was 1 patient with brain metastasis,1 patient with liver metastasis,and 2 patients with bone metastasis. ConclusionComplete VATS lobectomy is safe and feasible for the treatment of early LC with the advantages of minimal invasiveness,less morbidity,better postoperative recovery and less chronic incision pain. Complete VATS lobectomy can also achieve similar standardization of lymph node dissection as routine thoracotomy.
ObjectiveTo compare clinical outcomes between video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) and conventional surgery for the treatment of multiple rib fractures. MethodsA total of 173 consecutive patients with multiple rib fractures were admitted to Dujiangyan People's Hospital from January 2010 to December 2012. There were 122 males and 51 females with their age of 19-71 (41.3±7.1) years. According to different treatment strategies, all the patients were divided into 3 groups:conservative treatment group (83 patients with a mean of 4.9±1.3 fractured ribs, including 20 patients with flail chest), conventional surgery group (41 patients with a mean of 5.2±1.1 fractured ribs, including 11 patients with flail chest) and VATS group (49 patients with a mean of 5.3±1.5 fractured ribs, including 14 patients with flail chest). Length of hospital stay, duration of postoperative pain, incision length, operation time, chest drainage duration and morbidity were compared among the 3 groups. ResultsThe incision length (5.2±1.5 cm vs. 8.5±2.3 cm, P=0.031), operation time (1.1±0.3 hours vs. 1.8±0.2 hours, P=0.003), chest drainage duration (0.3±0.0 day vs. 3.2±1.1 days, P=0.007) and length of hospital stay (13.7±1.5 days vs. 17.3±2.3 days, P=0.017) of VATS group were significantly shorter than those of the conventional surgery group. A total of 159 patients were followed up, and chest x-ray was examined at 1, 3 and 6 months after discharge. After 3 months, bone callus formation was evident around the rib fractures in chest x-ray in patients undergoing surgery, while bone union with deformity was shown in some patients of the conservative group. ConclusionWith the development of various internal fixation materials, surgical internal fixation has become a trend for patients with multiple rib fractures, and VATS internal fixation is minimally invasive with satisfactory clinical outcomes.
ObjectiveTo investigate the feasibility of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lung resection in the treatment of tuberculosis.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 164 tuberculosis patients who underwent lung resection in Xi'an Chest Hospital from 2013 to 2017. Patients were divided into two groups according to the surgical procedure: a VATS group (85 patients, 56 males and29 females) and a thoracotomy group (79 patients, 52 males and 27 females). The clinical effect of the two groups was compared.Results Compared to the thoracotomy group, the VATS group had less operation time (151.59±76.75 min vs. 233.48±93.89 min, P<0.001), amount of intraoperative blood loss (200.00 ml vs. 600.00 ml, P<0.001), the postoperative drainage (575.00 ml vs. 1 110.00 ml, P=0.001), extubation time (4 d vs. 6 d, P<0.001) and hospital stay (13.00 d vs. 17.00 d, P<0.001). There was no statistical difference in postoperative complications (10 patients vs.17 patients, P=0.092) between the two groups. A total of 97 patients underwent lobectomy, including 36 of the VATS group and 61 of the thoracotomy group. The operation time (211.39±70.88 min vs. 258.20±87.16 min, P=0.008), the intraoperative blood loss (400.00 ml vs. 700 ml, P<0.010), the postoperative drainage (800.00 ml vs. 1 250.00 ml, P=0.001), extubation time (5.00 d vs. 8.00 d, P=0.002) and hospital stay (13.11±4.45 d vs. 19.46±7.74 d, P<0.010) in the VATS group were significantly better than those in the thoracotomy group. There was no statistical difference in postoperative complication rate (4 patients vs. 14 patients, P=0.147) between the two[1], groups.ConclusionCompared with conventional thoracotomy, VATS lung resection has obvious advantages in treatment of tuberculosis, which may be the preferred technique.
Treatment of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer by Single-direction Four-hole Complete Video-assisted Thoracoscopic Lobectomy HUANG Jia, ZHAO Xiao-jing, LIN Hao, TAN Qiang, DING Zheng-ping, LUO Qing-quan. (Shanghai Lung Tumor Clinical Medical Center, Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai 200030, P. R. China) Corresponding author：LUO Qing-quan, Email：luoqingquan@hotmail. com Abstract： Objective To explore the feasibility and safety of single-direction four-hole video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods Between January 2007 and December 2010, 428 patients with NSCLC were surgically treated by single-direction complete video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy in Shanghai Chest Hospital. There were 186 males and 242 females; aged 33 to 78 years. All the patients were diagnosed as primary NSCLC at early clinical stage. Among the 428 patients, 134 patients underwent right upper lobectomy, 48 patients underwent right middle lobectomy, 98 patients underwent right lower lobectomy, 4 patients underwent right middle and lower lobectomy, 72 patients underwent left upper lobectomy, and 72 patients underwent left lower lobectomy. All the 428 patients were divided into two groups according to their surgical approach：a three-hole group (300 patients) and a four-hole group (128 patients).The clinical results of the two groups were analyzed. Results A total of 412 patients underwent complete video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy, and 16 patients (3.7%) underwent conversion to open surgery. The average operation time was 132.1 (120-180) min, average length of incision was 3.7 (3-5) cm, and average blood loss was 150.0 (50-800) ml. There was no statistical difference in extubation time, intraoperative blood loss, and postoperative hospital stay between the two groups. But the operation time of the four-hole group is significantly shorter than that of the three-hole group （P＜0.05）. The 16 patients who underwent conversion to open surgery received intraoperative blood transfusion. Five patients died of severe pulmonary infection, pulmonary embolism, and acute cerebral infarction. Fifty two patients had squamous cancer, 340 patients had adenocarcinoma, 20 patients had adenosquamous carcinoma, 8 patients had poorly differentiated carcinoma, 6 patients had big cell lung cancer, and 2 patients had carcinoid. Postoperative persistent lung air leak occurred in 4 patients, thoracic empyema in 2 patients, pulmonary infection in 4 patients, arrhythmia in 26 patients, pulmonary embolism in 2 patients, chylothorax in 2 patients, and acute cerebral infarction in 2 patients. The overall 3-year survival rate was 83.6%（358/428）. Conclusion Single-direction four-hole complete video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy is feasible, safe and consistent with the operation standard in the surgical treatment for NSCLC patient. It is also helpful to reduce the operation time and facilitate lymph node dissection. Key words： Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery； Lobectomy； Single-direction； Four-hole； Non-small cell lung cancer
ObjectiveTo compare effectiveness and safety of video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) and thoracotomy in lymph node (LN) dissection for lung cancer. MethodsA comprehensive search of PubMed, Ovid Medline, EMbase, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, the Cochrane Library, Scopus and Google Scholar was performed to identify studies (from January 1990 to July 2015) comparing VATS with thoracotomy in LN dissection. The data were analyzed by RevMan 5.3 software. Quality of literature was evaluated by Newcastle-Ottawa scale or Jadad scale. ResultsFifty-one articles met the inclusion criteria involved 7 127 patients in the VATS group and 9 217 patients in the thoracotomy group. Thirty-eight articles were of good quality and the remaining thirteen were medium. Meta-analysis showed that fewer N1 LN stations in the VATS group (95% CI -0.23 to -0.04, P=0.005), although VATS harvested more left-side LNs (95% CI 0.51 to 3.22, P=0.007). The number of total LNs (95% CI -1.81 to 0.28, P=0.15), total LN stations (95% CI -0.34 to 0.15, P=0.44), N2 LNs (95%CI -1.77 to 0.79, P=0.45), N2 LN stations (95% CI -0.22 to 0.16, P=0.78), N1 LNs (95% CI -0.95 to 0.11, P=0.12), and right-side LNs (95% CI -1.52 to 2.23, P=0.71) harvested in the two groups were not significantly different. ConclusionIn the surgical treatment of lung cancer, VATS can achieve the same efficacy of LN dissection as thoracotomy. This conclusion still needs to be further proved by more high-quality and large-scale RCTs.