[Video-assisted lobectomy through the auscultatory triangle for the surgical treatment of bronchopulmonary carcinoma. Preliminary experience].
OBJECTIVE
To describe a technique for video-assisted lobectomy through the auscultatory triangle (VALAT) and to assess early and medium-term outcome of the procedure in patients with non-small cell bronchopulmonary carcinoma in stage I.


METHODS
Between April 1999 and May 2002 we performed 25 VALAT procedures (24 lobectomies and 1 bilobectomy) in 25 patients with a mean age of 63.6 years (range 39-80).


RESULTS
No deaths occurred during or after surgery. Conversion to conventional thoracotomy was necessary in two cases. One patient was re-operated to resolve hemothorax and one developed a bronchopleural fistula that was treated by pleural drainage. The mean hospital stay was 6.3 days. Twenty-three patients have been disease-free throughout a mean follow-up period of 11.5 months (range 1-36). The two-year actuarial survival rate (Kaplan-Meier) was 93% 7%.


CONCLUSIONS
VALAT is a safe procedure that nevertheless requires specific training. The rate of complications was low in our patient series and mortality was nil. The outcome for patients with stage I bronchogenic carcinoma over a two-year follow-up period has been comparable to results obtained with conventional thoracotomy.
Gimferrer
J M
JM
Institut Clínic de Pneumologia i Cirurgia Toràcica. Hospital Clínic. Universitat de Barcelona. Barcelona. España. jgimferr@mediacina.ub.es
Belda
J
J
Catalán
M
M
Serra
M
M
Rubio
M
M
Iglesias
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001984:Bronchial Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D015993:Life Tables; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011013:Pneumonectomy / Q000379:methods*; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D020775:Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted; D013908:Thoracotomy; D016896:Treatment Outcome