title: The use of single incision thoracoscopic surgery in diagnostic and therapeutic thoracic surgical procedures.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  As a minimal invasive procedure, a standard threeportal videothoracoscopy may have complications such as chronic and residual pain. However, a single incision thoracoscopic surgery is a less invasive procedure with minimal complications. We present our series of patients who had single incision thoracoscopic surgical procedures.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 49 patients, 29 (59.2%) male and 20 (40.8%) female with a mean age of 45.7 +/- 17.6 years (range, 16 to 86 years) underwent a total of 59 single incision thoracoscopic surgical procedures. We most often made a 2-2.5 cm single incision on the seventh or eighth intercostal space at the midaxillary line. VAS (Visual analogue scale) scores for pain at postoperative day 1 and the mean of chest tube removal times were recorded for each procedure. The patients were discharged following chest tube removal.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We performed an overall of 59 procedures including 8 (13.7%) wedge resections for either histologic diagnosis or spontaneous pneumothorax, 4 (6.8%) pleural biopsies, 23 (38.9%) pleurectomies, 9 (15.2%) deloculation and decortications, 5 (8.6%) traumas in and 10 (17.5%) sympathectomies. No patient required an additional thoracoscopic port or conversion to thoracotomy. The overall mean of postoperative VAS scores for all procedures at postoperative day 1 and day 30 were 3.2 +/- 0.9 and 1.4 +/- 0.5, respectively (p <0.0001). The overall mean of chest tube removal time was 2.3 +/- 0.8 days (median; 2). We observed neither morbidity nor mortality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In selected patients, single incision thoracoscopic surgery is an effective and a safe procedure with lower levels of pain and shorter hospital stay. A wide spectrum of thoracic surgical procedures can be performed with the use of single incision thoracoscopic surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Thoracic Surgery, Acibadem University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey. murat19071966@gmail.com
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kara
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Alzafer
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Okur
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Halezeroğlu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011030:Pneumothorax / Q000601:surgery; D020775:Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D019616:Thoracic Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D013906:Thoracoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult