ObjectiveTo investigate the effectiveness of sublobar resection and lobectomy via uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (U-VATS) for lung metastases from colorectal cancer.MethodsRetrospective research was conducted on 42 colorectal cancer patients with lung metastases who underwent U-VATS sublobar resection and lobectomy at the Tongji Hospital, Huazhong University of Science and Technology between April 2016 and May 2019, including 24 males and 18 females with an average age of 58.0±9.9 years. Among them 17 patients received U-VATS sublobar resection and 25 patients received lobectomy. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative pulmonary infection, drainage tube indwelling time, drainage volume on the first day after surgery, postoperative hospital stay were analyzed between the two groups, and the relationship between the prognosis and clinical characteristics of the two groups was compared.ResultsSublobar resection patients had less lung metastases (P=0.043) and shorter operation time (P=0.023) compared with the lobectomy patients. There was no significant difference between the lobectomy and sublobar resection groups in intraoperative blood loss (P=0.169), rate of postoperative infection (P=0.982), postoperative drainage duration (P=0.265), drainage volume on the first day after surgery (P=0.402) and postoperative hospital stay (P=0.612). The progression-free survival of the two groups was 25.19 months and 23.63 months (P=0.721), and their overall survival was 29.09 months and 30.64 months (P=0.554).ConclusionConsidering guantity and locations of lung metastases, U-VATS sublobar resection can achieve a similar prognosis to lobectomy for lung metastases from colorectal cancer. Further efficacy of this surgical strategy remains to be proved by longer follow-up.
ObjectiveTo compare the perioperative efficacy and safety of robot-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (RATS) and uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (UVATS) in the lobectomy for early lung adenocarcinoma.MethodsClinical data of 70 early lung adenocarcinoma patients, receiving RATS or UVATS lobectomy by the same surgical team in our hospital from November 2018 to May 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 24 males and 46 females with an average age of 59.3±8.9 years. According to different surgical methods, the patients were divided into a RATS group (31 patients) and a UVATS group (39 patients). The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative hospital stay, indwelling time, drainage volume, number of lymph node dissected, stations of lymph node dissected and perioperative complications were compared between the two groups.ResultsThere was no conversion to thoracotomy or perioperative death in both groups. There was no significant difference in intraoperative blood loss, postoperative hospital stay, indwelling time of thoracic drainage tube, thoracic drainage volume or stations of lymph node dissected between the two groups (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence of pulmonary infection, persistent lung leakage, chylothorax, arrhythmia or overall complications between the two groups (P>0.05). The operation time of the RATS group was longer than that of the UVATS group (195.8±52.8 min vs. 154.0±43.1 min, P=0.001). The number of lymph node dissected in the RATS group was more than that of the UVATS group (P=0.016).ConclusionBoth RATS and UVATS are safe and feasible in the treatment of lung cancer. The number of lymph nodes removed by RATS is significantly more than that of UVATS.
Objective To compare the safety and efficacy of thulium laser wedge resection of the lung under uniportal thoracoscopy with the other two traditional surgical methods (mechanical cutting stapler wedge resection and segmentectomy) in the treatment of small pulmonary nodules.MethodsClinical data of 125 patients with small pulmonary nodules receiving uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery from December 2017 to December 2018 in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 33 patients had thulium laser wedge resection (a thulium laser group), including 10 males and 23 females, with an average age of 59.21±11.31 years; 48 patients had mechanical stapling pulmonary wedge resection (a mechanical stapling pulmonary wedge resection group), including 17 males and 31 females, with an average age of 57.27±11.30 years; and 44 patients had pulmonary segmentectomy (a pulmonary segmentectomy group), including 21 males and 23 females, with an average age of 63.00±9.68 years. The surgical margin air leakage, operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative hospital stay, drainage days, average daily drainage volume, fever, pain and hospitalization expenses were compared among the three groups. ResultsThe body mass index, gender, smoking history, benign and malignant pathological results, average maximum diameter of lesions and lesion location distribution were not statistically different among the three groups (P>0.05). The average age and the proportion of pleural adhesions in the thulium laser group were not statistically different from those of the other two groups (P>0.05). In the distribution of the number of lesions, the proportion of multiple lesions in the mechanical stapling pulmonary wedge resection group was higher than that of the other two groups, and there was no statistical difference between the other two groups. The intraoperative blood loss in the thulium laser group was less than that of the other two groups (P≤0.05). There was no statistical difference in the classification of surgical margin air leakage or the operation time among the three groups (P>0.05). The proportion of postoperative fever and hospitalization expenses in the thulium laser group were lower or less than those of the other two groups (P<0.05). The length of hospitalization stay and postoperative chest tube placement in the thulium laser group was significantly shorter than that of the pulmonary segmentectomy group (P<0.05), which was not statistically different from the mechanical stapling pulmonary wedge resection group (P>0.05). There was no statistical difference in the average daily drainage volume or the proportion of pain among the three groups (P>0.05). Conclusion The thulium laser wedge resection under uniportal thoracoscopy is a safe, effective and economical method for the treatment of small pulmonary nodules.
With the development of precision diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer, anatomical segmentectomy has become an important surgical procedure for the treatment of early-stage lung cancer. After the widespread popularization of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), the treatment of lung cancer has entered the era of minimally invasive surgery. Since it was first reported in 2012, uniportal video-assisted anatomical segmentectomy has gained increasing clinical application. Uniportal VATS is less invasive than thoracotomy and traditional VATS. At present, the main research hotspots around uniportal video-assisted anatomical segmentectomy include specific indications, short-term and long-term efficacy, and learning curve. This article will introduce the characteristics, indications and surgical techniques of this procedure, then summarize and discuss the latest research progress of uniportal video-assisted anatomical segmentectomy based on the latest evidence-based evidence.
ObjectiveTo explore the feasibility of early chest tube removal following single-direction uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (S-UVATS) anatomical lobectomy. MethodsThe clinical data of consecutive VATS lobectomy by different surgeons in Xuzhou Central Hospital between May 2019 and February 2022 were retrospectively reviewed. Finally, the data of 1 084 patients were selected for analysis, including 538 males and 546 females, with a mean age of 61.0±10.1 years. These patients were divided into a S-UVATS group with 558 patients and a conventional group (C-UVATS) with 526 patients according to the surgical procedures. The perioperative parameters such as operation time, blood loss were recorded. In addition, we assessed the amount of residual pleural effusion and the probability of secondary thoracentesis when taking 300 mL/d and 450 mL/d as the threshold of chest tube removal. ResultsTumor-negative surgical margin was achieved without mortality in this cohort. As compared with the C-UVATS group, patients in the S- UVATS group demonstrated significantly shorter operation time (P<0.001), less blood loss (P=0.002), lower rate of conversion to multiple-port VATS or thoracotomy (P=0.003), but more stations and numbers of dissected lymph nodes as well as less suture staplers (P<0.001). Moreover, patients in the S-UVATS demonstrated shorter chest tube duration, less total volume of thoracic drainage and shorter postoperative hospital stay, with statistical differences (P<0.001). After excluding patients of chylothorax and prolonged air leaks>7 d, subgroup analysis was performed. First, assuming that 300 mL/d was the threshold for chest tube removal, as compared with the C-UVATS group, patients in the S-UVATS group would report less residual pleural effusion and less necessitating second thoracentesis with residual pleural effusion>500 mL (P<0.05). Second, assuming that 450 mL/d was the threshold for chest tube removal, as compared with the C-UVATS group, the S-UVATS group would also report less residual pleural effusion and less necessitating second thoracentesis with residual pleural effusion>500 mL (P<0.05). Further multivariable logistic regression analysis indicated that S-UVATS was significantly negatively related to drainage volume>1 000 mL (P<0.05); whereas combined lobectomy, longer operation time, more blood loss and air leakage were independent risk factors correlated with drainage volume>1 000 mL following UVATS lobectomy (P<0.05). ConclusionThe short-term efficacy of S-UVATS lobectomy is significantly better than that of the conventional group, indicating shorter operation time and less chest drainage. However, early chest tube removal with a high threshold of thoracic drainage volume probably increases the risk of secondary thoracentesis due to residual pleural effusion.
ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of multi-sided foramen ultrafine drainage tube with metal support on the formation of thoracic residual cavity after uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic (VATS) upper lobectomy. MethodsThe clinical data of the patients who underwent uniportal VATS upper lobectomy for lung cancer in the Department of Thoracic Surgery of the First Hospital of Lanzhou University from January 2021 to April 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the type of ultrafine drainage tube used in the surgery, the patients were divided into a test group (using metal-supported multi-sided foramen ultrafine drainage tube) and a control group (using ordinary 12F ultrafine drainage tube). The incidence of postoperative thoracic residual cavity and operation-related data were compared between the two groups. ResultsA total of 200 patients were enrolled, including 126 males and 74 females, with a mean age of 57.52 years. There were 90 patients in the test group, and 110 patients in the control group. The incidence of postoperative thoracic residual cavity in the test group was lower than that in the control group (P=0.045). The differences in the postoperative bedtime, postoperative visual analogue scale, postoperative analgesic pump using time, postoperative hospitalization time, times of postoperative thoracentration and drainage, postoperative drainage time and hospitalization cost between the two groups were statistically significant (P<0.05). The incidences of postoperative lung infection, pleural effusion and atelectasis complications were lower in the test group than those in the control group (P<0.05). The differences in the preoperative anesthesia time, operation time, intraoperative bleeding and postoperative lung leakage were not statistically significant (P>0.05). ConclusionThe use of multi-sided foramen ultrafine drainage tube with metal support can reduce the incidence of thoracic residual cavity after uniportal VATS upper lobectomy, and can reduce pain and economical burdens and the incidence of operation-related complications, accelerating the recovery of patients after surgery. The application of multi-sided foramen ultrafine drainage tube with metal support in uniportal VATS upper lobectomy can be widely used in the clinic.
ObjectiveTo introduce an innovative technique, the "balance-shaped sternal elevation device" and its application in the subxiphoid uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for anterior mediastinal masses resection. MethodsPatients who underwent single-port thoracoscopic assisted anterior mediastinal tumor resection through the xiphoid process at the Department of Thoracic Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University from May to June 2024 were included, and their clinical data were analyzed. ResultsA total of 7 patients were included, with 3 males and 4 females, aged 28-72 years. The diameter of the tumor was 1.9-17.0 cm. The operation time was 62-308 min, intraoperative blood loss was 5-100 mL, postoperative chest drainage tube retention time was 0-9 days, pain score on the 7th day after surgery was 0-2 points, and postoperative hospital stay was 3-12 days. All patients underwent successful and complete resection of the masses and thymus, with favorable postoperative recovery. ConclusionThe "balance-shaped sternal elevation device" effectively expands the retrosternal space, providing surgeons with satisfactory surgical views and operating space. This technique significantly enhances the efficacy and safety of minimally invasive surgery for anterior mediastinal masses, reduces trauma and postoperative pain, and accelerates patient recovery, demonstrating important clinical significance and application value.