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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 1998;14:113-116
© 1998 Elsevier Science NL

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery: experience with 341 cases¹

Department of Chest Surgery, Heybeliada Chest Disease and Chest Surgery Center, Heybeliada, TR-81340 Istanbul, Turkey

Received 5 January 1998; received in revised form 28 April 1998; accepted 13 May 1998.

Corresponding author. Sofular yokusu, Taskin sokak No:11/4, 34031 Eyüp, Istanbul, Turkey. Tel.: +90 212 5655536/216 3518850, ext. 279; fax: +90 216 3511994; e–mail: heybeli@bnet.net.tr

Objective: Until recently, thoracoscopy had been used primarily for diagnostic purposes for more than 80 years in thoracic diseases. In this report we reviewed our video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery experience with 341 cases focusing on indications, operative procedures, complications or failure rates. Patients and methods: Over the last 3 years, we performed 459 video-assisted thoracoscopic procedures. There were 206 male and 135 female patients. Results: The indications were diagnostic in 171 cases, and therapeutic in 170 cases. There were no operative mortality. Non-fatal complications were seen in 15 cases (4.4%). The mean postoperative stay was 5 days. The specific procedures performed were operations on the pleura (237 cases), lung (158 cases), mediastinum (56 cases) and pericardium (four cases). Conversion to thoracotomy was needed in 43 cases (12.6%). Definitive diagnosis was obtained in 100% of patients with pulmonary nodule/mass or diffuse lung disease, and 95.2% of patients with undiagnosed pleural effusions. The success rate of thoracoscopic approach in non-tuberculous thoracic empyema was 87.3%. Conclusions: Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery is an ideal procedure in the following situations: (1) undiagnosed pleural effusion, (2) recurrent pneumothorax or bullous lung disease, (3) stage II thoracic empyema, (4) lung cancer staging, (5) peripheral pulmonary nodule, and (6) wedge biopsy for diffuse lung disease.

Key Words: Surgery • Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) • Thoracoscopy

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