title: [Video-assisted minithoracotomy versus conventional posterolateral thoracotomy for performing lobectomy of lung carcinomas].
abstract: This study was performed to evaluate the advantages of video-assisted minithoracotomy over conventional posterolateral thoracotomy for performing lobectomy of lung carcinomas. Thirty-two patients with clinical T1N0M0 non-small cell lung carcinoma underwent lobectomy with R2a mediastinal lymphadenectomy. Of these, sixteen patients underwent posterolateral thoracotomy (between April 1994 and November 1995: T group), and sixteen patients underwent video-assisted thoracic surgery (between December 1997 and April 1999: V group). No significant differences were found in the two groups with respect to the total number of mediastinal lymph nodes dissected (T group: 16.9 +/- 8.7. V group: 14.3 +/- 7.2) or operative time (T group: 182.3 +/- 48.8 min, V group: 174.9 +/- 28.8 min). The intraoperative blood loss was significantly less in the V group (T group: 222.3 +/- 107.1 ml, V group: 143.3 +/- 92.6 ml, p < 0.05), and the postoperative max CPK was also less (T group: 1,484 +/- 496, V group: 785 +/- 327, p < 0.0001). Duration of chest tube drainage (T group: 11.3 +/- 3.6 days, V group: 7.9 +/- 2.7 days) and the requirement of epidural analgesia (T group: 6.7 +/- 2.2 days, V group: 5.0 +/- 0.8 days) were less in the V group (p < 0.01), and the length of postoperative hospitalization as also shorter in the V group (T group: 26.3 +/- 8.3 days, V group: 20.6 +/- 4.1 days, p < 0.05). In conclusion, video-assisted minithoracotomy is less invasive than posterolateral thoracotomy for performing lobectomy of lung carcinomas, and has an advantage in that it improves the postoperative quality of life.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Hakodate Goryoukaku Hospital, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Inaoka
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Obama
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kawaharada
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011013:Pneumonectomy / Q000379:methods*; D011788:Quality of Life; D020775:Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted; D013908:Thoracotomy