Total thoracoscopic pulmonary segmentectomy.
OBJECTIVE
In lung resection, thoracoscopy has been mainly used for wedge resection and lobectomy. There have been very few reports on pulmonary segmentectomy, mainly because of its complex nature. The present report evaluates the safety and efficacy of thoracoscopic pulmonary segmentectomy for the treatment of benign lung diseases or small lung carcinomas.


METHODS
The study involved 30 patients who underwent thoracoscopic segmentectomy without a minithoracotomy from September 2004 to March 2008. The median age of the patients was 69 years (range, 16-81 years). Four 5-20 mm ports were used. The pulmonary vessels were ligated, and the bronchi were closed using a stapler. An electrocautery was used for intersegmental dissection. Chest tubes were inserted in all cases.


RESULTS
Twenty-eight patients underwent complete thoracoscopic segmentectomy. A minithoracotomy was created in one case because of arterial bleeding, and open lobectomy was performed in another case owing to the diagnosis of small cell carcinoma. The operative time ranged from 147 to 425 min (median time, 216 min). The inserted chest tubes were maintained in position for 1-7 days (median duration, 1 day). One patient developed subcutaneous emphysema that spontaneously resolved. No mortality was observed for 30 days after the surgery. Further, no local recurrence or metastases were observed during follow-up in cases of malignancy.


CONCLUSIONS
Thoracoscopic pulmonary segmentectomy is a feasible and safe technique. Reduced postoperative pain and an improved cosmetic outcome are considered advantages of this minimally invasive procedure.
Second Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Yamagata University, Yamagata, Japan. hohizumi@med.id.yamagata-u.ac.jp
Hiroyuki
H
Oizumi
Naoki
N
Kanauchi
Hirohisa
H
Kato
Makoto
M
Endoh
Shin-ichi
S
Takeda
Jun
J
Suzuki
Ken
K
Fukaya
Mitsuaki
M
Sadahiro
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000601:surgery*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011013:Pneumonectomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013906:Thoracoscopy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult