RESUMO
Background and purpose:VATS lobectomy has gained popularity for lung cancer around the world.Complete anatomic resections and node dissections are routinely being performed at many centers under VATS,but some thoracic surgeons are concerned regarding the safety,benefit and radical resection of this operative method.Our study is to evaluate the reliability and feasibility of pulmonary resection by video-assisted mini-thoractomy(VAMT) for patients with lung cancer.Methods:72 patients with lung cancer received either lobectomy and systemic lymph node dissection by video-assisted mini-thoracotomy(VAMT group;n=32) or conventional thoracotomy(conventional group;n=40),lobectomy was performed by conventional or thoracoscopic instruments,specific lymph node clamps were applied for lymph node dissection.Results:VAMT was successfully performed without significant postoperative complication and blood transfusion.No significant differences were observed in the two groups with respect to the length of operation and the total groups of dissected lymph nodes.This study showed that VAMT is a minimally invasive surgery without impairing of the outcome and needed less operative blood loss and shorter postoperative hospitalization compared to conventional thoracotomy.Conclusions:Major pulmonary resection by video-assisted minithoractomy for patients with lung cancer is safe,reliable and less invasive,it is consistant with the surgical standard of lung cancer.Its long-term benefit needs to be clarified after further follow-up.