Abstract: Objective To summarize the clinical experiences of videoassisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomy performed on a series of 300 consecutive patients, and report the results of a 3year followup. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 300 consecutive patients who underwent VATS lobectomy from September 2006 to December 2009 in the Department of Thoracic Surgery, People’s Hospital of Peking University. Of the 300 patients, there were 159 males and 141 females with the age ranged from 18 to 86 years (58.30±13.90 years). Preoperative diagnosis showed that there were 266 patients of mass in the lung, 22 of bronchiectasis, 5 of cyst/abscess in the lung, 3 of pulmonary sequestration, 2 of fungus infection, and 2 of pneumothorax. We assessed the perioperative variables by standard descriptive statistics and estimated the 3year survival rate by KaplanMeier analyses. Results Sixtysix patients were diagnosed to have benign diseases and 234 patients were with malignancies. A percentage of 81.82% (54/66) of the benign patients had infectious diseases, and the majority of the malignancies was nonsmall cell lung cancer (213 patients), especially adenocarcinomas which comprised 73.08% (171/234) of all the malignancies. A total of 273 patients accomplished VATS lobectomy, of whom 27 patients required conversion to thoracotomy at a conversion rate of 9.00%(27/300). In the VATS lobectomy accomplished group, the mean operation time was 317±088 h, and the blood loss was 225.70±195.20 ml. Benign surgery took significantly less time (t=2.280, P=0.0032) and had shorter drainage time(t=1.392, P=0.0304) than those of malignancies. Dense adhesions between lymph nodes and blood vessels was the primary reason for conversion to thoracotomy in 17 patients at a percentage of 62.96%(17/27). Bleeding was the second reason for conversion in 5 patients at a percentage of 1852%. The patients in the upper lobe lobectomy group showed significantly higher risk of conversion compared with those in the nonupper lobe surgery group (χ2=6.131, P=0.013), while gender (χ2=1.182, P=0.277), pathology (χ2=0.210, P=0.647) and the tumor located in left or right side(χ2=2.933, P=0.087) didn’t influence the risk of conversion. The result of the 3year followup showed that there was no reoccurrence of symptoms in patients with benign diseases; Nonsmall cell lung cancer patients had a 3year survival rate of 0.87 with the 95% confidence interval (CI) from 0.77 to 0.96, and pathologic stage I patients at 0.91 with the 95%CI from 0.85 to 0.98. Conclusion VATS lobectomy is safe and effective. This research shows that domestic technologies of VATS lobectomy and its midterm results have reached the international standard.
Abstract: Objective To discuss the security, effectiveness and risk factors of videoassisted thoracoscopic surgery for posterior mediastinal tumors. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the data of 59 patients including 36 men and 23 women who underwent thoracoscopic resection of posterior mediastinal tumors in People’s Hospital of Peking University from May 2001 to July 2009. Their age ranged from 6 to 73 years old with an average age of 40.6 years old. The average maximum diameter of the tumors was 4.86 cm. All procedures were performed under general anesthesia and tumors were cut out with three ports. The anterior port was extended to 6 to 10 cm when conversion to thoracotomy was needed. After mediastinal pleura were opened, the tumor was stripped out along the outside of peplos and the vascular pedicle nerves were managed respectively. Results All surgeries were carried out successfully. The surgical duration, perioperative blood loss, postoperative chest tube duration and postoperative stay in hospital were respectively 45-300 min(125.80±57.40 min), 10-1 000 ml(168.10±157.70 ml), 1-10 d(2.50±1.74 d), and 2-14 d(5.24±2.24 d). There were 6 cases of conversion to open thoracotomy with a conversion rate of 10.2%. Postoperative pathology showed that there were 46 cases of neurogenic tumors, 10 cases of cyst, 2 cases of teratoma, and 1 case of lipoma. Follow-up was done on 51 cases for a period of 7-108 months(55.0±24.0 months) and 8(13.6%) cases were missed out during the period. No recurrence or death occurred during the followup. Logistic multivariable analysis showed that maximum diameter of the tumor ≥6 cm was the independent risk factor for extending operative time (OR=1.932，P=0.004), increasing perioperative blood loss (OR=2.267，P=0.002), increasing conversion rate to thoracotomy (OR=3.123，P=0.004) and increasing postoperative complication rate (OR=1.778，P=0.013). Conclusion Videoassisted thoracoscopic surgery for posterior mediastinal tumor is safe and effective. Maximum diameter of the tumor ≥6 cm is an independent risk factor for increasing operation difficulty and risk.
Objective To investigate the safety and efficacy of completely thoracoscopic lobectomy and the indications of this procedure. Methods Between Sep. 2006 and Jun. 2008, 100 consecutive patients（46 men，54 women, median age60.1±12.5 years，range from 18 to 82 years) underwent completely thoracoscopic lobectomy. All candidates were either peripheral pulmonary nodules suspected of lung cancer (85 pts.) or benign lesions (15 pts.) localized within single lobe who needed to receive lobectomy. The lobectomy was completed through three tiny incisions in the intercostal space. Anatomic lobectomies were carried out in all cases and systemic lymph node dissection was performed in malignancies. This group consisted of lobectomies of right upper lobe (n=25), right middle lobe (n=14), right lower lobe (n=22), left upper lobe (n=18), and left lower lobe (n=21). Results All procedures were successfully completed except for 3 conversions to thoracotomy. Postoperative diagnosis were primary lung cancer (n=81), lymphoma (n=1), metastasis of clear cell carcinoma from kidney (n=1), and, benign lesions (n=17). Five patients had mild complications in which two had atelectasis, one needed temperately echanical ventilation, one had pneumonia and one had chylothorax. All were treated conservatively without reoperation. No operative mortality or serious complications occurred in this group. The operative duration was 186.4±52.9min (range from 60 to 300 minutes). The blood loss was 233.9±275.9ml（range from 50 to 750ml）, and only one case needed blood transfusion. Chest drainage time was 7.1±3.0 days. Postoperative hospital stay was 9.5±3.2 days. Followedup time was for 1 to 27 months, metastasis happened in two patients with primary lung cancer 15 and 3 months separately after operation. Conclusion The completely thoracoscopic lobectomy is a safe and feasible surgical procedure with minimal invasiveness. The advocated indications include selected peripheral typed early stage lung cancer and benign pulmonary lesions which need lobectomy.
Abstract： Objective To investigate videoassisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) and percutaneous catheter occlusion (PCO) in interruption of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), in order to achieve minimally invasive surgical injuries and better clinical results. Methods From November 1995 to September 2009, 312 cases of PDA were treated in Fujian provincial hospital, among whom 252 patients were interrupted with VATS(VATS group) and 60 patients with PCO technique(PCO group). For the VATS group, there were 78 males and 174 females aged from 7 d to 31 years old (9.16±8.91 years), while there were 17 males and 43 females aged from 4 to 57 years old (25.55±14.10 years) in the PCO group. We used titanium clip to interrupt PDA under videoassisted thoracoscope for patients in the VATS group, and adopted Amplatzer method for patients in the PCO group. The clinical results, complications and hospital cost in the two groups were compared in this study. Results In the VATS group, all the PDA were successfully interrupted with no residual shunt. In the PCO group, 5% (3/60) of the patients had minor residual shunt after the procedure. No mortality occurred in both groups. Time of the procedure and hospital stay in the PCO group were shorter than that in the VATS group (70.20±31.20 min vs. 112.50±16.30 min, t=6.344,P=0.002; and 4.70±2.20 d vs. 6.50±2.80 d, t=3.241, P=0.022, respectively). However, the hospital cost for each patient in the PCO group was much higher than that in the VATS group (23 222.00±4 333.40 yuan RMB vs. 8 904.50±2 634.60 yuan RMB,t=25.360, P=0.000). Conclusion Compared with PCO, VATS in interrupting PDA can achieved not only excellent clinical results, especially in the newborn and baby cases, but also very satisfying cost which is just a little more than one third of the PCO cost.
Objective To investigate the clinical value of using videoassisted thoracoscopic lobectomy（VATS lobectomy） to treat primary nonsmall cell lung cancer(NSCLC) so that the videoassisted thoracoscopic surgery(VATS) can be better used in clinic. Methods From September 2007 to December 2008, seventysix NSCLC patients were collected. Thirtyseven patients underwent VATS lobectomy(VATS group), 21 male and 16 female with an average age of 60.4 years. Among them 20 underwent videoassisted minithoracotomy lobectomy, and 17 underwent total thoracoscopic lobectomy. Thirtynine patients underwent conventional thoractomy(conventional thoracotomy group), 32 male and 7 female with an average age of 58.7 years. Perioperative clinical and laboratory parameters of the two groups were compared. Results There was no severe complication and perioperative mortality in both groups. There were statistical significances between VATS group and conventional thoracotomy group in incision length (7.6±1.9 cm vs. 28.5±3.6 cm, t=-31.390,P=0.000), postoperative dosage of dolantin(160±125 mg vs.232±101 mg，t=-2.789,P=0.007), postoperative chest tube time(chest tube output＞100ml,4.8±2.5 d vs. 8.1±3.2 d，t=-4.944,P=0.000） and postoperative hospitalization time(12.1±3.0 d vs. 15.7±4.7 d，t=-3.945,P=0.000). There was no statistical significance between two groups in operation time（t=1.732，P=0.087）, intraoperative blood loss（t=-1.645，P=0.105） and the number of lymph node dissection（t=-0.088，P=0.930）. The total hospitalization expenses in VATS group were higher than that in conventional thoracotomy group, but there was no statistical significance（t=1.303，P=0.197）. The serum levels of glucose at 1st day after operation（7.2±1.2 mmol/L vs. 8.4±2.2 mmol/L, t=5.603,P=0.000）and the total count of white blood cell (12.7±3.8×10.9/L vs. 15.1±5.9×10.9/L,t=5.082,P=0.004) in VATS group were significantly lower than that in conventional thoracotomy group. The prealbumin(PA) level in VATS group was significantly higher than that in conventional thoracotomy group（215.0±45.5 mg/L vs.147.3+50.8 mg/L,t=-7.931,P=0.000). Conclusion VATS lobectomy could clean lymph node completely. Its advantages include less postoperative trauma, lower acute phase response, mild pain, rapid recovery, shorter hospitalization time and less economic burden. It could be an operation approach for early NSCLC patients who have been strictly selected.
Objective To compare the surgical trauma between videoassisted thoracoscopic surgery(VATS) and conventional thoracotomy, and to investigate the possible minimally invasive mechanism. Methods Seventyseven patients who had undergone consecutive operations from April 2005 to January 2006 were chosen from cardiothoracic surgery department of Fujian Provincial Hospital. Twentytwo cases had spontaneous pneumothorax diagnosed by chest X-ray examination, twentynine had patent ductus arteriosus diagnosed by color echocardiography, and twentysix had congenital atrial septal defect. According to lesions and operative methods, the patients were divided into two groups: conventional thoracotomy group(CTH group) and videoassisted thoracoscopic surgery group(VATS group). The concentrations of serum C-reactive protein（CRP），interleukin6 (IL-6)，interleukin-8（IL-8） and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) were selected as indexes to measure surgical trauma. ARRAY360 specific protein and pharmaceutical analysis system were used to determine CRP automaticly at the day before operation and on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd day after operation. Radioimmunoassay was used to measure the concentrations of IL-6，IL-8 and TNF-α. Clinical indexes such as operative time, cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) time, intraoperative blood lost, postoperative analgesic time and hospitalization time were analyzed and compared. Results Under the condition that patients had the same diseases, there was no statistical significance in preoperative concentrations of serum CRP，IL-6，IL-8 and TNFα between VATS group and CTH group（P=0.067, 0.062, 0.053,0.064）. The concentrations of serum CRP(P=0.045,0.043,0.044), IL-6(P=0.042，0.032，0.039), IL-8(P=0.046，0.045，0.048) and TNF-α(P=0.041，0.043，0.043) on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd day after operation were significantly lower in VATS group than that in CTH group (Plt;0.05). Compared with CTH group, there were less blood lost（P=0.032）, shorter postoperative analgesic time and hospitalization time（P=0.041） in VATS group. There was no statistical significance in CPB time between two groups. However, hospitalization time varied with different diseases. Conclusion Compared with conventional thoracotomy，videoassisted thoracoscopic surgery has less surgical trauma, less intraoperative blood lost, shorter postoperative analgesic time, and can make patients recover rapidly. So it is worth spreading.
Objective To investigate the feasibility, curative effect and perioperative treatments of lobectomy for pulmonary diseases by complete videoassisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). Methods Fiftysix patients of pulmonary diseases were treated with thoracoscopic lobectomy (including mediastinal and hilar lymph node dissection for malignant diseases) from March 2006 to November 2007 in our Department. Twelve right upper lobectomy, three right middle lobectomy, fifteen right lower lobectomy, nine left upper lobectomy, fourteen left lower lobectomy and three bilobectomy were carried out. The bilobectomy included one right upper and middle lobectomy, two right middle and lower lobectomy. Mediastinal and hilar lymph node dissection was simultaneously performed in the malignant cases. The feasibility, safety and postoperative complications were retrospectively analyzed. Results Fiftytwo patients (92.8%) were performed successfully by complete VATS. The median operative duration and blood loss were respectively 107±29min(from 45min to 168min) and 121±32 ml(from 50ml to 310ml). The incision in two cases (3.6%) were elongated to around 8 cm, the ribs were retracted, and the operations were completed by the help of VATS. Another two patients (3.6%) were changed to conventional thoracotomy for pneumonectomy or hemostasis. The postoperative pathology diagnosis was lung cancer in thirty nine, tuberculoma in seven, inflammatory pseudotumor in four, indurative angioma in four, bronchiectasis in one and metastasic chondrosarcoma in one. There was no surgical mortality. One case suffered from atelectasis in the middle lobe postoperatively and was cured by phlegm suction with bronchoscopy. Two air leakage healed automatically in three days. No other severe complications was observed. The average postoperative hospitalization was 8.9±3.1 d(from 8 d to 14 d). Conclusion Lobectomy for pulmonary diseases by complete VATS is technically fieasible, safe, minimally invasive with less complications and fast rehabilitation.