Resection of pulmonary nodules using video-assisted thoracic surgery. The Thorax Group.
BACKGROUND
The aim of this study was to assess the experience with video-assisted thoracic surgery for the resection of pulmonary nodules.


METHODS
This voluntary registry (20 centers) included 388 patients with either benign (n = 171) or malignant (n = 217) pulmonary nodules. Pulmonary nodules were located using computed tomography scan-guided injection of methylene blue (59 patients) and hook wire technique (17 patients).


RESULTS
Video-assisted thoracic surgery was converted into thoracotomy in 67 patients (17%) because of technical-emergency in 4, inability to complete resection in 33, and the need to perform lobectomy for cancer through thoracotomy in 30. In other patients, video-assisted thoracic surgery allowed wedge resection in 300 cases and lobectomy in 21 cases. No intraoperative and two postoperative deaths (0.56%) occurred. The complication rate was 8% (n = 31). Mean durations of chest tube placement and hospital stay were 3.3 days (range, 1 to 20 days) and 6 days (range, 1 to 25 days), respectively. Video-assisted thoracic surgery was judged by the surgeon to be a diagnostic procedure 226 times (58%) and a therapeutic procedure 162 times (42%).


CONCLUSIONS
Video-assisted thoracic surgery appears to be safe and remains mainly a diagnostic procedure for malignant tumors.
Bernard
A
A
Clinique Chirurgicale Universitaire, Hôpital du Bocage, Dijon, France.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007267:Injections; D008297:Male; D008751:Methylene Blue; D008875:Middle Aged; D011013:Pneumonectomy; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D015641:Radiography, Interventional; D003074:Solitary Pulmonary Nodule / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D013903:Thoracic Surgery; D013908:Thoracotomy; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014741:Video Recording
D008751:Methylene Blue