Objective Through a retrospective study on esophageal function changes and symptom relief after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery treatment for achalasia of cardia (AC) to assess the clinical value of this operation. Methods We reviewed the data of 34 AC patients who received modified Heller operation by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery in the Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University from March 2012 to September 2014. There were 11 males and 23 females with a median age of 35 (11–67) years. These patients were divided into four groups according to the time of treatment and follow-up: preoperative group, postoperative one-month group, postoperative three-month group and postoperative six-month group. Changes of symptoms, radiography and esophageal dynamics before and after therapy were collected. These different groups were analyzed based on statistical methods. Results There was no statistical difference in ages and genders among groups (P>0.05). The surgery was successful and no complication or death occurred. Symptoms of patients showed different degrees of relief and the postoperative grade of clinical symptoms decreased (P<0.05). After surgery, lower esophageal sphincter pressure (LESP), lower esophageal sphincter resting pressure (LESRP) and esophageal body pressure (EBP) decreased significantly, while lower esophageal sphincter relax rate (LESRR) increased (P<0.05). While there was no significant difference in length of lower esophageal sphincter (LESL,P>0.05). Angiography of upper digestive tract revealed that compared to the preoperative group, the maximum width in postoperative three-month group decreased significantly (P<0.05). During the follow-up, 3 patients suffered gastroesophageal reflux, 2 patients esophageal perforation and 1 patient empyema due to esophago-pleural fistula. No massive hemorrhage of upper digestive tract and hiatal hernia occured. Conclusion Sugery can significantly ameliorate the clinical symptoms of the patients with AC, and improve esophageal dynamics. And it is simple and easy to perform with less complications and better long-term outcomes. Improved Heller operation by video-assisted thoracoscopy is a less invasive procedure when compared with the traditional thoracotomy. Moreover, esophageal manometry can objectively assist in the diagnosis and degree of the disease and effect of therapy.
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 compare the feasibility and safety of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) under non-intubated, intravenous anesthesia with spontaneous ventilation. Methods A total of 80 patients undergoing VATS (48 wedge resections, 8 sympathectomies, 24 pleural biopsies) between January 2015 and June 2017 were included. Those patients were randomized into two groups. The 40 patients were enrolled as a treatment group (19 males and 21 females at age of 23.3±10.2 years) and received surgery under non-intubated intravenous anesthesia with spontaneous ventilation. And the other 40 patients were enrolled as a control group (21 males and 19 females at age of 22.2±9.9 years) and received surgery under routine intravenous anesthesia with intubated ventilation. Results Comparing with the control group, the patients of the treatment group had lower white blood cell count (5.8×109±2.4×109 vs. 7.3×109±3.6×109, P<0.001), lower gastrointestinal adverse reaction rate (7.5%vs. 27.5%, P=0.002), lower sore throat rate (5.0% vs. 30.0%, P<0.001), lower cough grade (0.9±0.3vs 2.1±0.5, P<0.050), shorter drainage time (1.8±1.6 dvs. 3.7±1.8 d, P<0.050) and shorter hospital stay (2.3±1.8 dvs. 5.8±2.3 d, P<0.050). Conclusion Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery under non-intubated, intravenous anesthesia with spontaneous ventilation is safe and feasible, which also has certain advantages in reducing the postoperative complications and promoting patients' quick recovery from surgery.
Mini-invasive video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) has been employed in diagnosis and treatment of esophageal diseases for about 10 years. The potential advantages of VATS over thoracotomy are reduction of chest pain just after the operation and in the long run, lower incidence of postoperative respiratory complications, and reduction of aesthetic sequelae. Thoracoscopic staging of esophageal cancer is to evaluate the invasion and metastasis of cancer, which is helpful for better selection of patients for appropriate treatment .Operation of esophageal cancer with VATS is prescribed mainly in the early stage of carcinoma, but it’s application is restricted due to the multiple sites of operation and complexity of procedures. VATS for benign esophageal diseases such as esophageal leiomyoma and achalasia is becoming the preferable choice of operation in qualified medical centers.
Objective To investigate the perioperative outcome of robot-assisted pulmonary lobectomy in treating pathological stage Ⅰ non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 333 consecutive p-T1 NSCLC patients who underwent robotic-assisted pulmonary lobectomy in our hospital between May 2013 and April 2016. There were 231 females (69.4%) and 102 males (30.6%) aged from 20–76 (55.01±10.46) years. Cancer was located in the left upper lobectomy in 37 (11.1%) patients, left lower lobectomy in 71 (21.3%) patients, right upper lobectomy in 105 (31.5%) patients, right middle lobectomy in 32 (9.6%) patients, right lower lobectomy in 88 (26.4%) patients. Adenocarcinoma was confirmed in 330 (99.1%) patients and squamous cell cancer was confirmed in 3 (0.9%) patients. Results Total operative time was 46–300 (91.51±30.80) min. Estimated intraoperative blood loss was 0–100 ml in 319 patients (95.8%), 101–400 ml in 12 patients (3.6%), >400 ml in 2 patients (0.6%). Four patients were converted to thoracotomy, including 2 patients due to pulmonary artery branch bleeding and 2 due to pleural adhesion.No patient died within 30 days after surgery. And no perioperative blood transfusion occurred. Postoperative day 1 drain was 0–960 (231.39±141.87) ml. Chest drain time was 2–12 (3.96±1.52) d.And no patient was discharged with chest tube. Length of hospital stay after surgery was 2–12 (4.96±1.51) d. Persistent air leak was in 12 patients over 7 days. No readmission happened within 30 days. All patients underwent lymph node sampling or dissection with 2–9 (5.69±1.46) groups and 3–21 (9.80±3.43) lymph nodes harvested. Total intraoperative cost was 60 389.66–134 401.65 (93 809.23±13 371.26) yuan. Conclusion Robot-assisted pulmonary lobectomy is safe and effective in treating p-Stage Ⅰ NSCLC, and could be an important supplement to conventional VATS. Regarding to cost, it is relatively more expensive compared with conventional VATS. RATS will be widely used and make a great change in pulmonary surgery with the progressive development of surgical robot.
With the wide utilization of high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) in the lung cancer screening, patients detected with pulmonary ground-glass nodules (GGNs) have increased over time and account for a large proportion of all thoracic diseases. Because of its less invasiveness and fast recovery, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is currently the first choice of surgical approach to lung nodule resection. However, GGNs are usually difficult to recognize during VATS, and failure of nodule localization would result in conversion to thoracotomy or extended lung resection. In order to cope with this problem, a series of approaches for pulmonary nodule localization have developed in the last few years. This article aims to summarize the reported methods of lung nodule localization and analyze its corresponding pros and cons, in order to help thoracic surgeons to choose appropriate localization method in different clinical conditions.
Objective To evaluate the validity of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) pneumonectomy in thoracic diseases treatment. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 34 consecutive patients who underwent VATS pneumonectomy in Xiangya Hospital Central South University between January 2013 and October 2015. There were 26 males and 8 females at age of 35–69 (53.8±7.7) years. Results VATS pneumonectomy was completed successfully in 32 patients (5.8% conversion rate). The average operation time was 182.5±52.4 min. The average blood loss was 217.1±1 834.8 ml. Chest tube drainage flow was 3–11 (6.0±1.7) days and postoperative hospital stay was 5–12 (7.6±1.8) days. Eleven patients got postoperative complications (34.3%), mainly pulmonary infections. The 32 patients were followed up for 10 (1–21) months. Two patients died of lung metastasis 16 or 17 months after the operation. One patient died of sudden cardiac arrest 3 months after operation. Bronchopleural fistula (BPF) happened in one patient after hospital discharge in 2 months. Conclusion VATS is feasible for pneumonectomy. However, further studies and follow-up are needed to verify the benefits of VATS pneumonectomy for lung cancer.
ObjectiveTo analyze and compare the perioperative efficacy difference between full-port Da Vinci robotic surgery and thoracoscopic surgery in patients with mediastinal tumor resection. MethodsThe data of 232 patients with mediastinal tumors treated by the same operator in the Department of Thoracic Surgery of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University were included. There were 103 (44.4%) males and 129 (55.6%) females, with an average age of 49.7 years. According to the surgical methods, they were divided into a robot-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS) group (n=113) and a video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) group (n=119). After 1 : 1 propensity score matching, 57 patients in the RATS group and 57 patients in the VATS group were obtained. ResultsThe RATS group was better than the VATS group in the visual analogue scale pain score on the first day after the surgery [3.0 (2.0, 4.0) points vs. 4.0 (3.0, 5.0) points], postoperative hospital stay time [4.0 (3.0, 5.5) d vs. 6.0 (5.0, 7.0) d] and postoperative catheterization time [2.0 (2.0, 3.0) d vs. 3.0 (3.0, 4.0) d] (all P<0.05). There was no statistical difference between the two groups in terms of intraoperative blood loss, postoperative complications, postoperative thoracic closed drainage catheter placement rate or postoperative total drainage volume (all P>0.05). The total hospitalization costs [51 271.0 (44 166.0, 57 152.0) yuan vs. 35 814.0 (33 418.0, 39 312.0) yuan], operation costs [37 659.0 (32 217.0, 41 511.0) yuan vs. 19 640.0 (17 008.0, 21 421.0) yuan], anesthesia costs [3 307.0 (2 530.0, 3 823.0) yuan vs. 2 059.0 (1 577.0, 2 887.0) yuan] and drug and examination costs [9 241.0 (7 987.0, 12 332.0) yuan vs. 14 143.0 (11 620.0, 16 750.0) yuan] in the RATS group was higher than those in the VATS group (all P<0.05). ConclusionRobotic surgery and thoracoscopic surgery can be done safely and effectively. Compared with thoracoscopic surgery, robotic surgery has less postoperative pain, shorter tube-carrying time, and less postoperative hospital stay, which can significantly speed up the postoperative recovery of patients. However, the cost of robotic surgery is higher than that of thoracoscopic surgery, which increases the economic burden of patients and is also one of the main reasons for preventing the popularization of robotic surgery.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness of different uses of oxidized regenerated cellulose (ORC) in video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for lung cancer resection to provide a reference for the selection, clinical use, and rational utilization of absorbable hemostatic materials. MethodsA retrospective analysis of relevant data from inpatients who underwent VATS for lung cancer resection at a tertiary hospital from July 2019 to January 2020 and from July 2020 to December 2020 was conducted. Patients were divided into two groups based on the use of ORC: 1) combined use group (ORC and collagen sponge) and 2) sole-use group (ORC). Safety, efficacy, and economic outcome indicators were compared between the two groups. ResultsThe main analysis included a total of 904 patients, with 466 in the combined use group and 438 in the sole-use group. Compared to the combined use group, the sole-use group had a significantly longer hospital stay, used fewer hemostatic drugs, had a lower average cost of hemostatic materials, and a lower median total hospitalization cost (P<0.05). No statistically significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of intraoperative blood loss volume, massive blood loss rate, perioperative transfusion rate, reoperation rate, postoperative 48-hour drainage volume, bloody drainage fluid rate, or postoperative laboratory test indicators. ConclusionThere was no significant difference in the safety or efficacy of VATS for lung cancer resection between the sole use of ORC and the combined use of ORC, but the sole use of ORC was associated with a lower cost of hemostatic materials and a lower total hospitalization cost. The sole use of hemostatic gauze in VATS for lung cancer resection may be a more cost-effective choice.
Objective To explore the learning curve and evaluate the safety of uniportal complete video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomy. Methods We reviewed retrospectively the clinical data of 133 patients, who underwent uniportal VATS between March 2015 and October 2016 in Sichuan Provincial Cancer Hospital. There were 79 males and 54 females at age of 52.21±10.77 years. Results All the 127 patients completed uniportal VATS, 4.51% (6/133) converted to open surgery. There were 78 patients with lobectomy, 6 patients with segmentectomy, 37 patients with wedge resection, 6 patients with pleural, mediastinal lymph node biopsy or mediastinal tumor resection. In the lobectomy group, mean surgical time was 148.75±34.12 min, mean blood loss was 118.87±59.96 ml, mean number of lymph nodes was 11.25±6.15, the mean duration of chest-tube placement was 2.17±1.35 days, and mean length of stay was 7.58±2.59 days. Conclusion Based on skillful performance of the conventional thoracoscopic lobectomy, the learning curve for single port thoracoscopic lobectomy comprises at least 20 patients. The uniportal VATS lobectomy is a safe and operable method of minimally invasive technique, and it is worthy to be applied in thoracic surgery.