Clinical application of thulium laser in thoracoscopic resection of pulmonary nodules / 中华胸心血管外科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective The aim of the present study was to evaluate the clinical application of 2 μm thulium laser in pulmonary nodules resection under VATS.Methods 61 patients,undergoing thoracoscopic resection of pulmonary nodules in thoracic department of Xuanwu Hospital,were identified between January and December of 2016.Of those,30 underwent 2μm thulium laser dissection and 31 were treated with standard technique by using staplers.In terms of clinical characteristics,including gender,age and smoking history,there is no significant difference between the laser group and the stapler group,but the lesion size was slightly larger in the stapler group compared with the laser group.The lesions of the two groups were almost evenly distributed on the five lobes.Results All the procedures were performed successfully under VATS.The intraoperative evaluation of air leaks demonstrated that less than or equal to 2 grade air leaks were observed in 28 cases in the laser group and in 30 cases in the stapler group.Grade 3 air leaks requiring a rescue treatment were observed in 2 cases in the laser group and in 1 case in the stapler group.There were no significant differences in the postoperative hospital stay and total hospital stay between two groups.Chest tube duration was lower in the laser group compared with the stapler group even if it was not statistically significant (2.71 vs 3.55 days).Hospitalization costs was significantly lower for the laser group.Conclusion The use of 2um thulium laser to prevent intra-and postoperative air leaks and bleeding is effective and makes patients recover quickly,which allows a minimally invasive,accurate and safe application during thoracoscopic resection of pulmonary nodules.