title: Wound retraction system for lung resection by video-assisted mini-thoracotomy.
abstract: Wound retraction system (WR; Alexis Wound Retractor, Applied Medical, CA, USA), designed for laparoscopic abdominal surgery, is instrumental in offering retraction and protection when an organ or specimen requires removal through a small incision. We performed lobectomy or segmentectomy with systematic lymph nodes dissection by video-assisted mini-thoracotomy for patients with primary lung cancer using this tool. This technique was used for elective operations in 24 men and 10 women; the length of major skin incision was 6.5+/-0.7 cm. The operative views and the ease of using endoscopic instruments were good. Only two patients required initial pleurectomy for pleuro-pulmonary adhesions before using WR. There were no patients with severe postoperative chest pain, wound infection and contamination.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Thoracic Surgery, Ishikawa Prefectural Central Hospital, Kuratsukihigashi 2-1, Kanazawa 920-8530, Japan. tsuney@nifty.com
authors.forename: Yoshio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tsunezuka
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oda
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Moriyama
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000601:surgery*; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020775:Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D013908:Thoracotomy / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D016896:Treatment Outcome