Single-stage video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery: Right upper lobectomy and left lower lobectomy for synchronous bilateral lung cancers

IntroductionSingle-stage bilateral radical surgery for synchronous bilateral multiple lung cancers (SBMLCs) has strong advantages; however, it is considered highly invasive. We have therefore adopted video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) as a minimally invasive surgical maneuver for bilateral lung resection. Although there have been a few reports concerning bilateral lung resection, the safety and appropriate operative indications remain unclear, especially for bilateral VATS-lobectomy. A case of single-stage bilateral radical lobectomy with a good result is reported.Presentation of caseA 58-year-old man was found to have abnormal opacities in the right upper zone and left lower zone at a health checkup. Double primary bilateral lung cancers was suspected, and surgical resection was considered. Consequently, right upper lobectomy with D2 lymph node dissection and left lower lobectomy with D2 lymph node dissection as radical resection were performed under VATS. The lesions were finally diagnosed to be double primary adenocarcinomas of the right upper lobe (pT1N0M0, stage IA) and left lower lobe (pT1N0M0, stage IA). The patient’s postoperative course was uneventful, and he was discharged on postoperative day 6. The patient is doing well with no evidence of recurrence for 9 years.ConclusionWhile careful consideration of the surgical options is needed, if properly done, bilateral VATS-lobectomy for SBMLC has advantages for selected patients.     

Video-assisted thoracoscopic major pulmonary resections: technical aspects,personal series of 259 patients,and review of the literature

Background Although more than 10 years have passed since the first video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomies, these procedures have not gained widespread acceptance. We discuss the technical aspects and major problems associated with these operations, focusing on their present status and future perspectives. The results of our clinical series are presented and the relevant literature is reviewed. Methods From October 1991 to June 2003, 344 patients were submitted to surgery for an intended video major pulmonary resection. Results Of the 344 patients, seven (2.0%) were deemed inoperable at video exploration; 78 (23.1%) required conversion, either for technical reasons (n = 3), anatomical problems (n = 49), oncological conditions (n = 20), or intraoperative complications (n = 6). We carried out 253 video-assisted lobectomies and six pneumonectomies (209 for primary lung tumor, 43 for benign disease, and seven for metastases). There were no intraoperative deaths. Two patients died postoperatively. Complications occurred in 20 patients (7.7%). Global survival at 3 and 5 years was 83.24% (±6.9) and 68.87% (±9.7), respectively. Patients with T1 N0 cancer had a better survival rate at 3 and 5 years (87.13 ± 8.3% and 75.12 ± 12.2%) than those with T2 N0 cancer (78.49 ± 11.2% and 61.2 ± 15%). Conclusions Based on our experience and a review of the literature, we conclude that video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomies offer less postoperative pain, a more rapid recovery, and better cosmetic results than their conventional counterpart. The results at 3- and 5-year follow-up for cancer are attractive. However, because no randomized study has yet proved these benefits definitively, further studies are still needed. The video for this paper is available at     

胸腔镜肺叶切除术治疗早期肺癌的学习曲线

目的 通过评估胸腔镜肺叶切除术治疗早期肺癌不同阶段的手术效果,探讨胸腔镜肺叶切除术的学习曲线.方法 回顾性分析2006年9月至2008年6月由同一手术组连续完成的60例全胸腔镜下肺叶切除加纵隔淋巴结清扫术治疗早期肺癌的病例资料.按手术先后依次分为4组(A、B、C、D),每组15例,比较各组手术时间、术中出血量、纵隔淋巴结清扫站数及个数、中转开胸率、术后并发症、术后胸管引流时间以及术后住院天数,分析不同阶段的手术效果.结果 各组病例在年龄、性别、肿瘤大小、病理分期以及手术方式等方面差异无统计学意义(P>0.05).A组手术时间(228.0±55.6)min明显长于C组(155.0±33.6)min或D组(152.7±27.4)min(P<0.001),B组手术时间(200.3±67.1)min亦明显长于C组或D组(P<0.05),而C、D两组之间差异无统计学意义(P=0.896);在术中出血量方面,A组(283.3±111.2)ml明显多于C组(156.7±86.3)ml或D组(143.3±67.8)ml(P<0.01),B组(286.7±188.4)ml亦明显多于C组或D组(P<0.01),C、D两组之间差异无统计学意义(P=0.767);各组淋巴结清扫数量、中转开胸率、术后并发症、术后胸管引流时间以及术后住院天数比较,差异均无统计学意义(P>0.05).结论 胸腔镜肺叶切除术的学习曲线大约为30例.     

胸腔镜肺叶切除术治疗I期肺癌

目的：探讨胸腔镜肺叶切除术的疗效。方法：对30例术前诊断为I期肺癌的患行胸腔镜肺叶切除术，男19例，女11例，年龄36岁－78岁，平均63．1岁。结果：无手术死亡。2例（6．67％）术后输血，发生并发症4例（13．3％）。随访时间12月－45月，平均28．7月，生存率83．3％（25／30），其中I期患生存率为90．9％（20／22）。结论：对于I期肺癌，胸腔镜肺叶切除术长期疗效与常规开胸手术相仿，而且具有安全性高，手术创伤小，术后恢复快等优点。     

全胸腔镜肺叶切除术中转开胸的临床研究

目的:探讨全胸腔镜肺叶切除术中转开胸的原因,以降低中转开胸发生率,准确把握中转开胸的手术指征。方法:2010年9月至2015年11月共完成胸腔镜肺叶切除术1 230例。手术均通过2~3个小切口完成,按照手术常规行解剖性肺叶切除及系统性淋巴清扫术。如镜下操作遇到血管损伤性出血、肺门淋巴结粘连或转移等腔镜下无法处理的情况,及时中转为开胸手术。根据术中是否中转开胸分为胸腔镜组与中转开胸组,对比两组患者的临床资料,分析引起中转开胸的相关原因及采取的相应措施。结果:患者手术顺利,无严重并发症发生及围手术期死亡病例。58例中转开胸,中转率4.7%,其中25例术中出血,23例淋巴结粘连或侵犯。56例开胸后顺利完成了肺叶切除,仅2例施行了全肺切除。两组手术时间、术中出血量、引流管放置时间、术后引流量、住院时间差异均有统计学意义(P0.05)。肺动脉损伤出血、淋巴结干扰是导致中转开胸最常见的原因。结论:肺动脉损伤、淋巴结干扰是中转开胸的主要原因,应根据术中具体情况及时准确地把握中转开胸的手术指征。     

电视胸腔镜手术在肺癌治疗中的应用

电视胸腔镜手术（video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery，VATS）是一种微创、安全、可行的技术。随着手术器械和技巧的日趋改进，电视胸腔镜在临床的应用越来越广泛。本文就电视胸腔镜手术在肺癌治疗中的应用作一综述。     

小切口电视胸腔镜辅助与传统开胸肺癌根治术的比较

目的探讨小切口电视胸腔镜辅助肺癌根治术的临床价值。方法2005年1月～2006年6月收治49例I、Ⅱ期非小细胞肺癌,22例在小切口(腋前线肋间6～8cm)辅助电视胸腔镜下行肺叶切除术及肺门纵隔淋巴结清扫(VATS组),27例在常规开胸手术下完成肺叶切除术及淋巴结清扫(传统开胸组),比较2种术式肺功能和C反应蛋白(C reactiveprotein,CRP)的变化。结果胸腔镜组2例为方便安全地处理肺门血管将小切口扩大至12～15cm。2组患者术后血清CRP浓度明显升高,第1天达到峰值,胸腔镜组CRP术后1d(56.1±10.9)mg/L,显著低于传统开胸组(73.8±15.1)mg/L(t=-4.603,P=0.000)。2组术后肺功能每分钟通气量相对值(minute ventilation volume,MV)、1秒用力呼气容积相对值(forced expiratory volume in one second,FEV1)下降,术后1周时胸腔镜组MV为(95.6±16.4)L,显著高于传统开胸组(81.9±12.7)L(t=3.296,P=0.002),胸腔镜组FEV1为(57.1±5.7)%,显著高于传统开胸组(51.4±6.9)%(t=3.105,P=0.003)。结论与常规开胸肺癌根治术相比,小切口电视胸腔镜辅助肺叶切除术适合于早中期肺癌,疗效确切,可明显减少病人的手术创伤,可以作为非小细胞型肺癌的一种常规的治疗手段。     

Very long-term outcomes of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for lung cancer

Background  The most critical parameter in the evaluation of the feasibility of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomy for lung cancer is long-term outcome. In this study, patients in whom more than 5 years had elapsed since they had undergone VATS lobectomy for lung cancer were identified, and the 5-year survival rate and frequency of recurrence were evaluated as the long-term outcomes; in addition, the frequency of perioperative complications were also evaluated as the short-term outcomes. Methods  The stage, histology, perioperative complications, recurrence, and survival data were carefully reviewed in 198 patients who underwent VATS lobectomy for lung cancer between 1998 and 2002. Results  Median postoperative follow-up period was 72.1 months. Of the 198 patients, 138 and 30 were diagnosed as having p-stage IA and IB disease, respectively, while the remaining 30 patients had more advanced disease. Perioperative complications were observed in 20 patients (10.1%), however, there were no perioperative mortalities. Recurrence was observed in 26 patients (13.1%): of these, 11 patients showed local recurrence, including malignant pleural effusion and mediastinal lymph node recurrence, and 16 patients showed distant metastasis, the lung being the commonest site of metastasis; six patients had both local recurrence and distant metastasis. During the study period, there were 26 deaths (13.1%), of which 17 were due to lung cancer and 9 were due to other causes. The 5-year overall survival rates of the patients with p-stage IA and IB disease were 93.5% and 81.6%, respectively. Conclusion  VATS lobectomy for the treatment of lung cancer is as feasible and safe as open lobectomy in terms of both very long- and short-term outcomes.     

Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) lobectomy: the evidence base.

BACKGROUND: Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) lobectomy provides a minimally invasive alternative for management of early stage non-small cell lung cancer, but is still only performed in a few specialized centers around the world. Questions about the safety of the surgery and its adequacy as a cancer operation remain hurdles for many surgeons. METHODS: We performed a systematic review of the literature on VATS lobectomy to assess these questions. The MEDLINE database was queried and the papers analyzed. RESULTS: Four randomized control trials, 11 case-control series, and 10 case series were reviewed. A variety of VATS techniques are used, making generalization of results difficult. The weight of this evidence suggests that VATS lobectomy can be safely performed and is an adequate cancer operation for early stage non-small cell lung cancer. There is also evidence that patients experience less pain with VATS, but that length of hospital stay is similar. CONCLUSION: In expert hands, VATS lobectomy appears to be a safe procedure. However, the published evidence is thin and ongoing study is required, preferably with standardization of VATS techniques.     

电视胸腔镜辅助小切口肺叶切除35例临床分析

目的探讨胸腔镜辅助小切口肺叶切除在早期肺癌及肺良性病变治疗中的应用价值。方法回顾分析我院2002年2月～2006年6月行胸腔镜辅助小切口肺叶切除35例的临床资料。其中周围型肺癌(T1N0～1M0)31例,支气管扩张症3例,右肺中叶不张并脓肿1例。解剖性肺叶切除30例,非解剖性肺叶切除5例。结果本组无中转开胸,手术时间85～210min,(115±35)min。术中出血150～450ml,(210±55)ml。2例术后并发急性呼吸衰竭,使用呼吸机辅助机械通气分别治疗3、5d后顺利脱机;1例术后急性心肌梗死,经早期溶栓治疗痊愈。其余32例无术后并发症。全组拔除胸腔闭式引流管时间2～10d,平均5.4d。3例肺良性病变,随访41、33、13个月,无明显远期并发症;25例肺癌平均随访时间15.2月(3～53个月),其中随访3～12个月6例、12～24个月9例、24～36个月7例、36～53个月3例,因肺癌复发或转移死亡4例(16%),肿瘤复发带瘤生存2例(8%),无瘤生存19例(76%)。结论胸腔镜肺叶切除对周围型肺癌(T1N0～1M0)及肺部局限性良性病变是一种完全可行并且安全的手术方法。     

胸腔镜肺癌切除术后疼痛相关患者报告结局与恐动水平的关系

目的 分析胸腔镜肺癌切除术后疼痛相关患者报告结局与恐动水平的关系。方法 对212例胸腔镜辅助下肺癌切除术患者于术后第1天使用恐动症评估简表和国际疼痛疗效问卷进行调查。结果 胸腔镜肺癌切除术后患者恐动症发生率为38.68%,恐动水平评分25（23,29）分;女性患者更易发生恐动症;疼痛严重程度、疼痛对功能情绪的影响和患者对疼痛治疗的感知与恐动水平显著相关（均P＜0.05）。结论 胸腔镜肺癌切除术后患者恐动水平较高,疼痛相关患者报告结局不佳加重了恐动水平。应针对患者疼痛特点和心理特征,减轻其对术后康复锻炼的恐惧心理。     

Intraoperative conversion during video-assisted thoracoscopy resection for lung cancer does not alter survival

 Open in a separate windowOBJECTIVESThe aim of this study was to assess the long-term outcomes of patients treated by anatomical pulmonary resection with the video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) approach, VATS requiring intraoperative conversion to thoracotomy or an upfront open thoracotomy for lung cancer surgery. METHODSWe performed a retrospective single-centre study that included consecutive patients between January 2011 and December 2018 treated either by VATS (with or without intraoperative conversion) or open thoracotomy for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Patients treated for a benign or metastatic condition, stage IV disease, multiple primary lung cancer or by resection, such as pneumonectomies or angioplastic/bronchoplastic/chest wall resections, were excluded.RESULTSAmong 1431 patients, 846 were included: 439 who underwent full-VATS, 94 who underwent VATS-conversion (21 emergent, 73 non-emergent) and 313 treated with upfront open thoracotomy. The median follow-up was 37 months. There were no statistical differences in stage-specific overall survival between the full-VATS, VATS-conversion, and open thoracotomy groups, with 5-year OS for stage I NSCLC of 76%, 72.3% and 69.4%, respectively (P = 0.47). There was a difference in disease-free survival for stage I NSCLC, with 71%, 60.2% and 53%, respectively at 5 years (P = 0.013). Fewer complications occurred in the full-VATS group (pneumonia, arrhythmia, length of stay), but complication rates were similar between the VATS-conversion and thoracotomy groups.CONCLUSIONSVATS resection for NSCLC with intraoperative conversion does not appear to alter the long-term oncological outcome relative to full-VATS or open upfront thoracotomy. Postoperative complications were higher than for full-VATS and comparable to those for thoracotomy. VATS should be favoured when possible.     

Single-incision versus multiport video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery in the treatment of lung cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objectives: Recent studies compared single-incision thoracoscopic surgery (SITS) with more widely used conventional multiport video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery in the treatment of lung cancer. To establish the safety and feasible of SITS in the treatment of lung cancer, we conducted this systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods: Eleven studies were identified from the databases of PubMed, Cochrane Library, SpringerLink, and ScienceDirect. The randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomized studies evaluated the outcomes of SITS compared with multiport video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery in the treatment of lung cancer were included for analysis. Odds ratio (OR, used to compare dichotomous variables) and weight mean difference (WMD, used to compare continuous variables) were calculated with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) based on intention-to-treat analysis.

Results: Eleven studies including 1314 patients were included for analysis. Our analysis showed that the operative time, blood loss amount, mean duration of chest tube, lymph nodes retrieved were similar between two approaches, the SITS pulmonary resection might be associated with shorter hospital stay (p?=?.008) and lower complication rate (p?=?.009) when compared with conventional multiport video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery approaches.

Conclusions: In selected patients SITS is safe, feasible and may be considered an alternative to multiport VATS.     

Early outcomes of lung resections in non-small cell lung cancer after COVID-19 pneumonia

ObjectiveThere is limited literature on patients with a history of COVID-19 pneumonia who underwent anatomical lung resection for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This study was aimed to share the early postoperative outcomes in patients who underwent lung resection after COVID-19 pneumonia.Materials and methodsWe retrospectively evaluated 30 patients who underwent lobectomy with thoracotomy and systematic mediastinal lymph node dissection due to NSCLC in a single center between November 2018 and September 2021. The patients were divided into two groups regarding COVID-19 pneumonia history; the COVID-19 group consisted of 14 patients (46.7%) and the non-COVID-19 group 16 (53.3%) patients. The patients’ age, gender, comorbidity, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score, forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) value, tumor type and size, resection type, postoperative air leak duration, total drainage volume, drain removal time, postoperative complications, and length of stay (LOS) were recorded.Results9 (30%) patients were female, and 21 (70%) were male. The mean age was 62.1 ± 8.91 years. Our comparison of postoperative air leak duration, total drainage volume, time to drain removal, postoperative complications, and LOS between the COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 groups revealed no statistically significant difference.ConclusionAnatomical lung resection can be performed safely in NSCLC patients with a history of COVID-19 pneumonia without significant difference in early postoperative morbidity and mortality.     

Comparison in prognosis after VATS lobectomy and open lobectomy for stage I lung cancer

BACKGROUND: Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) has become an attractive surgical procedure, but several issues remain to be resolved. Prognosis after VATS lobectomy is important to evaluate the adequacy of VATS lobectomy as a cancer operation. Interestingly, several investigators, including us, have reported that prognosis after VATS lobectomy was superior to that after open lobectomy in early non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). One of the possible reasons is the low invasiveness of VATS lobectomy. But we considered that patient bias might have some influence favoring VATS lobectomy. To evaluate our hypothesis, we reviewed medical records of stage I NSCLC patients undergoing operation between 1993 and 2002. We compared and evaluated the relationship between patient characteristics and prognosis after VATS and open lobectomy. We focused particularly on histological type, classifying it into four subgroups; (1) bronchioloalveolar carcinoma (BAC), (2) mixed BAC + papillary adenocarcinoma (BAC + Pap), (3) other adenocarcinoma (Other adeno), (4) squamous cell carcinoma + others (Sq + others). RESULTS: A total of 165 patients underwent VATS lobectomy, and 123 patients underwent open lobectomy. The 5-year survival rate of the VATS lobectomy group was 94.5% and that of the open lobectomy group was 81.5%. Univariate Cox regression of survival revealed that male, CEA > 5, Other adeno, Sq + others, open lobectomy, and tumor size > 3 cm were significant negative prognostic variables. Multivariate Cox regression of survival revealed that histological subtype and tumor size were independent prognostic factors, but surgical procedure was not an independent prognostic factor. COMMENTS: Prognosis after VATS lobectomy was superior to that after open lobectomy, but patient bias influenced the prognosis in favor of VATS lobectomy, and the surgical procedure itself was not a prognostic factor.     

单肋间二孔法胸腔镜肺叶肺段切除术连续200例经验及慢性疼痛的评估

目的描述单肋间二孔法胸腔镜(VATS)肺叶肺段切除术的方法并总结其经验,评估该手术方法对患者术后慢性疼痛的影响。 方法2014年6月至2015年8月,连续有217例患者在宁波市第二医院胸心外科接受了单肋间二孔法VATS肺叶肺段切除术。2014年1月至6月,同一术者在该院连续完成了80例传统三孔法VATS肺叶和肺段切除术。收集并回顾性分析两组患者的临床数据,包括术后第6个月时患者慢性疼痛的数据。 结果200例患者(其中肺癌173例,良性疾病27例)成功进行了单肋间二孔法VATS手术(其中肺叶切除141例,肺段切除59例),17例患者因各种原因中转为三孔VATS或开放手术。200例行单肋间二孔法VATS手术的患者,平均手术时间(160.1 ± 56.1) min;平均淋巴结清扫数(10.5 ± 5.3)枚;术后平均住院时间(6.4 ± 2.9)d。其中46例患者出现并发症,1例患者在术后30 d内死亡。对比分析术后6个月随访成功的92例单肋间二孔组患者与71例三孔组患者,单肋间二孔组患者的慢性疼痛发生率和疼痛分值均明显低于三孔组[25.0% vs 43.7%,χ²＝6.300,P＝0.012;(2.3±0.8)分vs (3.6±1.6)分,t＝3.912,P<0.001]。 结论单肋间二孔法VATS肺叶肺段切除术对大多数患者是安全、可行的。这项技术相比传统三孔法可显著降低患者术后慢性疼痛的发生率和疼痛分值。     

胸腔镜肺叶切除术中常见问题的预防和处理

目的 总结胸腔镜下肺叶切除术中常见问题的预防和处理方法.方法 2007年6月至2009年12月,通过胸部3个微小切口,共行胸腔镜下肺叶切除术96例.其中右肺上叶切除28例,右肺中叶切除7例,右肺中、下叶切除3例,右肺下叶切除19例,左肺上叶切除12例,左肺下叶切除27例.结果 手术顺利,无围手术期严重并发症及死亡,术中常见问题包括:手术切口及血管出血、胸膜腔广泛粘连、支气管断端漏气.中转开胸4例.手术平均(180±59)min,出血量平均(191±92)ml,2例输血.术后平均胸腔引流(4.6±2.4)天,术后平均住院(8.0±3.2)天.术后病理原发性肺癌85例,硬化性血管瘤3例,支气管扩张3例,结核球2例,隔离肺2例,霉菌球1例.结论 熟练掌握术中常见问题的预防和处理,有助于开展全胸腔镜下肺叶切除术.     

First experience with robot-assisted thoracoscopic esophagolymphadenectomy for esophageal cancer

Background Transthoracic esophagectomy with extended lymph node dissection is associated with higher morbidity rates than transhiatal esophagectomy. This morbidity rate could be reduced by the use of minimally invasive techniques. The feasibility of robot-assisted thoracoscopic esophagectomy (RTE) with mediastinal lymphadenectomy was assessed prospectively. Methods This study investigated 21 consecutive patients with esophageal cancer who underwent RTE using the Da Vinci™ robotic system. Continuity was restored with a gastric conduit and a cervical anastomosis. Results A total of 18 (86%) procedures were completed thoracoscopically. The operating time for the thoracoscopic phase was 180 min (range, 120–240 min), and the median blood loss was 400 ml (range, 150–700 ml). A median of 20 (range, 9–30) lymph nodes were retrieved. The median intensive care unit stay was 4 days (range, 1–129 days), and the hospital stay was 18 days (range, 11–182 days). Pulmonary complications occurred in 10 patients (48%), and one patient (5%) died of a tracheoneoesophageal fistula. Conclusions In this initial experience, robot-assisted thoracoscopic esophagectomy was found to be feasible, providing an effective lymphadenectomy with low blood loss. Standardization of the technique and increased experience should reduce the complication rate, which is in the range of the rate for open transthoracic dissection.     

The difference in postoperative pulmonary functional change between upper and lower thoracoscopic lobectomy

 Open in a separate windowOBJECTIVESThrough 3-dimensional lung volumetric and morphological analyses, we aimed to evaluate the difference in postoperative functional changes between upper and lower thoracoscopic lobectomy.METHODSA total of 145 lung cancer patients who underwent thoracoscopic upper lobectomy (UL) were matched with 145 patients with lung cancer who underwent thoracoscopic lower lobectomy (LL) between April 2012 and December 2018, based on their sex, age, smoking history, operation side, and pulmonary function. Spirometry and computed tomography were performed before and 6 months after the operation. In addition, the postoperative pulmonary function, volume and morphological changes between the 2 groups were compared.RESULTSThe rate of postoperative decreased and the ratio of actual to predicted postoperative forced expiratory volume in 1 s were significantly higher after LL than after UL (P < 0.001 for both). The tendency above was similar irrespective of the resected side. The postoperative actual volumes of the ipsilateral residual lobe and contralateral lung were larger than the preoperatively measured volumes in each side lobectomy. Moreover, the increased change was particularly remarkable in the middle lobe after right LL. The change in the D-value, representing the structural complexity of the lung, was better maintained in the left lung after LL than after UL (P = 0.042).CONCLUSIONSPulmonary function after thoracoscopic LL was superior to that after UL because the upward displacement and the pulmonary reserves of the remaining lobe appeared more robust after LL.