THE APPLICATION OF VIDEO-ASSISTED THORACIC SURGERY (VATS) IN THORACIC DISEASES / 解放军医学杂志

ABSTRACT

In this paper the authors submitted their experience in application of video assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) in 204 cases at the surgical clinic of the General Hospital of PLA (Oct.1992 Jun.2002). A retrospective analytic study was carried out to assess the value of VATS in terms of the diseases and the surgical anesthesia, operation modes, complications and result. A satisfying result in the group was obtained in each of the cases. There was no operative mortality or morbidity. The mean operation time was 110 minutes, the overall median duration of chest tube drainage was 2 days, and the mean hospitalization time was 9 days. The postoperative recovery was uneventful. As a minimally invasive surgical technique with very low morbidity, VATS is worth considering and has been established as a procedure of choice with exceptional results in various chest diseases. Our experience confirms the safety of VATS in both diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Due to progress over the past several years, VATS is by now a standard surgical procedure in thoracic surgery, and has become an inseparable part of thoracic surgery. There are differences of opinion with regard to major pulmonary and esophageal resections for cancer, thus further clinical investigation deserves to be carried out.