Objective To summarize our initial experience in robot-assisted lobectomy for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer （NSCLC）. Methods A total of 20 NSCLC patients underwent robot-assisted pulmonary lobectomy in General Hospital of Shenyang Military Command from March to September 2012. There were 13 males and 7 females, and their age was 43-80 （60.40±8.07） years. Single-direction thoracoscopic lobectomy technique was used，and systemic mediastinal and hilar lymph node dissection was routinely performed during the operation. There were 4 right upper lobectomies，7 right lower lobectomies，1 right middle lobectomy，7 left lower lobectomies，and 1 left upper lobectomy. Results Postoperative pathological examination showed adenocarcinoma in 12 patients，squamous cell carcinoma in 5 patients，adenosquamous carcinoma in 2 patients，and mucoepidermoid carcinoma in 1 patient. One patient undergoing left upper lobectomy had intraoperative pulmonary artery bleeding of 500 ml，who was healed by pulmonary artery repair via an accessory small incision and blood transfusion of 400 ml. All the other 19 patients successfully underwent robot-assisted lobectomy with their mean intraoperative blood loss of 60.00±42.95 （10-200） ml, and no blood transfusion was needed for them. All the patients were successfully extubated after operation, and none of the patients had severe postoperative complication. The mean thoracic drainage time was 9.35±3.48 （3-15） days. All the patients were discharged uneventfully and followed up for 2-9 （6.01±2.09） months without recurrence or metastasis. Conclusions Robot-assisted pulmonary lobectomy using Da Vinci S Surgical System is safe and feasible，and especially advantageous for lymph node dissection. It can be used for the treatment of early stage NSCLC.
Objective To investigate surgical indications，techniques，safety and clinical outcomes of minimallyinvasive sternal lowering operation for the treatment of pectus carinatum （PC）. Methods Clinical data of 40 PC patientswho underwent minimal invasive sternal lowering operation in Xinhua Hospital，School of Medicine，Shanghai Jiao Tong University from July 2009 to August 2012 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 39 male patients and 1 female patientwith their average age of 14.5 （12-22）years. All the patients underwent their surgical correction for the first time，and their chest deformity were characterized by a significant protrusion of the sternum and ribs including 21 symmetric and 19 asymmetric protrusions. Preoperative evaluation included electrocardiogram，CT scan of the chest，echocardiogram and pulmonary function test. Preoperative mean Haller index was 1.91±0.23. Sixteen patients had mild restrictive ventilatory disorder. Allthe patients received minimally invasive sternal lowering operation with a curved Nuss steel bar. Aggravating activities wererestricted within 3 months postoperatively，and the steel bar was removed 2 years later. Results All the operations were completed successfully，and thoracic appearance was significantly improved after correction. All the patients and their relativeswere very satisfied with the corrective outcomes. The operation time was 65-115 （82.0±15.6）minutes and average intraop-erative blood loss was less than 10 ml. Postoperative hospital stay was 3-5 （3.5±0.8） days. Postoperative Haller index was2.39±0.17，which was significantly higher than preoperative Haller index （P＜0.01） . Postoperative complications included wound infection in 2 patients，pneumothorax in 1 patient （cured by closed thoracostomy），subcutaneous effusion in 3 patients，and persistent pain （longer than 14 days） in 2 patients. There was no other serious postoperative complication. All the 40 patients were followed up for 3-36 months after discharge. A steel bars was removed ahead of schedule because of wound infection in one patient. Other steel bars were in normal position in 39 patients and there was no displacement of the steel bars or the stabilizers. Eight patients received removal of the steel bars without PC recurrence. Conclusion Juveniles with PC who have good chest wall compliance are the best candidates for minimally invasive sternal lowering operation which is an easy，safe，reliable，minimally invasive and esthetic procedure with satisfactory corrective outcomes.
Objective To summarize diagnosis and treatment outcomes of coronary arterial fistulas （CAFs） so as to improve surgical results. Methods Clinical data of 23 patients with CAFs who underwent surgical repair in Xinhua Hospital，School of Medicine，Shanghai Jiaotong University from July 2006 to January 2013 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 15 male and 8 female patients with their age of 35.4±8.7 years. CAFs originated from left anterior descendingartery in 7 patients，right coronary artery in 13 patients，dual coronary arteries in 1 patient，left main coronary artery in 1 patient，and obtuse marginal artery in 1 patient. CAFs drained into pulmonary artery in 16 patients，right ventricle in 5patients，and right atrium in 2 patients. Twelve patients received surgical repair under off-pump condition with beating heart，and the other 11 patients underwent surgery under cardiopulmonary bypass （CPB）. Surgical techniques included extracardiacgasket interrupted suture ligation，intracardiac mattress suture ligation，intracardiac gasket interrupted suture for fistula repair，and a combination of intracardiac suture ligation and extracardiac repair. Results There was no in-hospital death or seriouspostoperative complication in this group. For the 11 patients undergoing surgical repair under CPB，average CPB time was 78.6±7.4 minutes，and average aortic cross-clamping time was 39.0±5.9 minutes. Postoperatively，patients’ heart functionrecovered well，their symptoms disappeared，and there was no myocardial ischemia or residual fistula. Twelve patients werefollowed up at the outpatient department and via telephone for 3 months to 6 years after discharge. During follow-up，theirheart function all recovered well，and echocardiogram detected no abnormality. There was no late death，myocardial ischemiaor residual fistula. Conclusion All CAFs patients need early surgical repair once their diagnosis is clear. Appropriate surgical strategies should be chosen according to the characteristics of pathological anatomy and associated intracardiaclesions. Surgical outcomes are satisfactory.
Objective To investigate application values and techniques of robot-assisted extended thymectomy for the treatment of typeⅠmyasthenia gravis （MG） using Da Vinci S system. Methods We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of 3 patients with MG who underwent robot-assisted extended thymectomy in General Hospital of Shenyang Military Command from March 2012 to September 2012. All the patients were ocular MG （typeⅠ） including 2 men （33 years and 66 years old respectively） and 1 woman （21 years old）. Surgical outcomes were analyzed. Results All the 3 patients successfully received robot-assisted extended thymectomy without accessorial incisions. None of the patients required converting to open sternotomy or postoperative reexploration for bleeding. Intraoperative blood loss was 5-10 ml．Overall operation time was95-138 minutes, and thymoma dissection time was 26-80 minutes. No myasthenic crisis or other major postoperative complic-ation occurred. Postoperative chest drainage duration was 3-9 days and postoperative hospital stay was 10-15 days. Two patientswere followed up for 6-12 months after discharge without MG recurrence. Conclusion Robot-assisted extended thymectomy is safe and feasible for the treatment of typeⅠMG with satisfactory results．
Objective To explore clinical application values of thoracoscopic and laparoscopic-assisted minimally invasive McKeown procedure for esophageal cancer. Methods Clinical data of 196 patients with esophageal cancer （EC） who underwent thoracoscopic and laparoscopic-assisted minimally invasive McKeown procedure in West China Hospital of Sichuan University from February 2008 to August 2012 were analyzed retrospectively. There were 145 male and 51 female patients with their age of 40-76 （58.8±6.6） years. There were 43 patients with EC in the upper segment of the esophagus, 115 patients with EC in the middle segment of the esophagus and 38 patients with EC in the lower segment of the esophagus.Results Total operation time was 215-780 （305.0±40.7） minutes，including thoracoscopic operation time of 50-580 （105.0±38.4） minutes and laparoscopic operation time of 28-105 （54.0±8.6） minutes. Intraoperative blood loss was 20-440 （285.4±38.5） ml. The number of dissected lymph nodes was 6-39 （20.4±1.6） for each patient. Postoperative hospital stay was 7-93 （12.8±5.2） days. Sixty patients （30.6%） had postoperative complications，including 28 patients （14.3%） with pulmonary comp-lications，5 patients （2.5%） with chylothorax，5 patients （2.5%） with arrhythmias，15 patients （7.6%） with anastomotic fistula，10 patients （5.0%） with recurrent laryngeal nerve injury，and other complications in 2 patients. Conclusion Thoracoscopic and laparoscopic-assisted minimally invasive McKeown procedure is a safe and feasible operation for esophageal cancer.
Objective To explore the feasibility，safety and clinical applicability of combined complete thoracoscopicand laparoscopic esophagectomy for the treatment of esophageal carcinoma. Methods Clinical data of 34 patients with esophageal carcinoma who underwent combined complete thoracoscopic and laparoscopic esophagectomy in the Departmentof Thoracic Surgery of our hospital from January 2012 to June 2013 were analyzed retrospectively. There were 33 males and1 female with their age of 63 （41-76） years. Results One patient received conversion to laparotomy and 1 patient diedpostoperatively. Mean operation time was 362.1 （300-560） minutes，including 90.6 （60-220） minutes for thoracoscopicprocedure in 34 patients and 61.1 （45-85） minutes for laparoscopic procedure in 33 patients. Mean intraoperative blood loss was 206.5 （100-500） ml. Average number of dissected lymph nodes was 18.0 （13-31） for each patient with positivemetastatic rate of 44.1% （15/34）. Postoperative pathological diagnosis was squamous cell carcinoma in 33 patients and smallcell carcinoma in 1 patient. Postoperative pathological staging was stageⅠB in 1 patient，stageⅡA in 1 patient，stageⅡB in 15 patients，stageⅢA in 11 patients，stageⅢB in 3 patients and stageⅢC in 3 patients. Postoperative hospital stay was 15.2 （6-35） days. Two patients received bedside bronchoscopic sputum suction. Postoperative complications occurred in32.4% （11/34） of all patients，including pulmonary infection in 4 patients （11.8%），respiratory failure in 2 patients （5.9%），chylothorax in 1 patient （2.9%），cervical anastomotic leak in 4 patients （11.8%） and hoarseness in 2 patients （5.9%）. We followed up 33 patients for 1-16 months. Two died，Two were lost. The other 29 patients survived. Conclusion Combined complete thoracoscopic and laparoscopic esophagectomy is a minimally invasive，feasible and safe surgical procedure for the treatment of esophageal carcinoma with quick postoperative recovery，and is worthy of furtherclinical application.
Abstract: Objective To evaluate the feasibility and safety of combined laparoscopic and thoracoscopic esophagectomy and intrathoracic esophagogastric anastomosis for the treatment of esophageal cancer. Methods We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of 40 patients with esophageal cancer who underwent esophagectomy in Beijing Chaoyang Hospital of Capital Medical University from March 2010 to March 2012. All the 40 patients were divided into 2 groups according to their different surgical approach， including 22 patients who underwent combined laparoscopic and thoracoscopic esophagectomy and intrathoracic esophagogastric anastomosis （minimally invasive surgery group） and 18 patients who underwent Ivor Lewis esophagectomy （open surgery group）. Operation time， intra-operative blood loss， lymph node dissection， postoperative morbidity， hospital stay and cost were compared between the two groups. Results The hospitalcost of minimally invasive surgery group was significantly higher than that of open surgery group ［（78 181.5±8 958.8） yuan vs. （61 717.2±35 159.4） yuan， Z=4.078，P=0.000］ . There was no statistical difference in operation time ［（292.0±74.8） min vs. （256.1±41.0） min， t=1.838，P=0.074］， intra-operative blood loss ［（447.7±597.0） ml vs. （305.6±125.9） ml， Z=0.401，P=0.688］， total number of dissected lymph nodes （230 vs. 215， t=1.714，P=0.095）， postoperative morbidity ［22.7% （5/22） vs. 33.3% （6/18）， χ2=0.559，P=0.498］， time to resume oral intake ［（8.5±3.5） d vs. （11.1±9.6） d，t=1.202，P=0.237］， and postoperative hospital stay ［（11.6±5.7） d vs. （13.3±9.4） d， t=0.680， P=0.501）］ between the two groups. The minimally invasive surgery group was further divided into two subgroups according to operation date， including 10 patients in the early stage subgroup and 12 patients in the later stage subgroup. The operation time of the later stage subgroup was significantly shorter than that of the early stage subgroup ［（262.9±64.9） min vs. （327.5±73.0） min， t=2.197， P=0.040］， but not statistically different from that of the open surgery group ［（262.9±64.9） min vs. （256.1 ±41.0） min， t=0.353， P=0.727］. Intra-operative blood loss of the later stage subgroup was significantly reduced compared with those of the early stage subgroup ［（220.8±149.9） ml vs. （720.0±808.0） ml， Z=3.279， P=0.001)］ and the open surgery group ［（220.8±149.9）ml vs. （305.6±125.9） ml， Z=2.089， P=0.037）］. Conclusion Combined laparoscopic and thoracoscopic esophagectomy and intrathoracic esophagogastric anastomosis is a safe and effective surgical procedure for the treatment of esophageal cancer.