title: Lobectomy by video-assisted thoracic surgery with mediastinal node sampling for lung cancer.
abstract: This study was undertaken to determine whether a complete lung cancer operation can be done by video-assisted thoracic surgery and to evaluate the postoperative course. Forty-five patients (44 to 82 years of age) with clinical stage 1 lung cancer underwent video-assisted thoracic surgery for lobectomy or pneumonectomy with mediastinal lymph node sampling or dissection. There were no deaths or major complications. The median hospital length of stay was 4 days. Six patients stayed in the hospital for more than 7 days for pneumonia (n = 1), air leak (n = 3), or serous drainage (n = 2). Five of the seven patients who were 80 to 82 years of age were discharged by the fourth postoperative day.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, University of Southern California School of Medicine, Los Angeles.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: McKenna
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D008197:Lymph Node Excision / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008482:Mediastinum; D011013:Pneumonectomy / Q000379:methods*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D013690:Television; D013906:Thoracoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D013997:Time Factors