title: Video-assisted thoracic surgical resection of malignant lung tumors.
abstract: Forty patients with malignant pulmonary disease underwent evaluation, staging, and a biopsy or resection by means of video-assisted thoracic surgery. There were 20 men and 20 women whose ages ranged from 27 to 82 years. Eight patients had a wedge resection for metastatic carcinoma, three a lobectomy for primary carcinoma, six exploration of the thorax, five biopsy of the aortopulmonary window, and eighteen a sublobar resection for primary carcinoma of the lung. There was no mortality. Three patients had air leaks that lasted an average of 8 days. Video-assisted thoracic surgery seems to be useful for more precise staging of carcinoma of the lung, and, in some patients, resectional operations can be performed.
authors.affiliation: Section of General Thoracic Surgery, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Caccavale
authors.forename: G E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Sisler
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Mackenzie
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001706:Biopsy / Q000295:instrumentation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging / Q000379:methods; D011013:Pneumonectomy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D013903:Thoracic Surgery / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D014741:Video Recording / Q000295:instrumentation*