Video-assisted thoracic surgery: The Chang Gung experience

Thoracoscopy has assumed a major role in the management of a variety of surgical diseases of the chest. This technique, which was primarily devised for diagnostic purposes, has subsequently come to be used for therapeutic applications in most centers today. In this report we review 300 cases of therapeutic thoracic procedures in which a video-assisted technique was used. We describe mainly our own experience and the basic approach strategies we found helpful in the video-assisted procedures. No complications or deaths were attributable to these procedures. Our conclusions were as follows: (1) Video-assisted thoracic surgery can be as effective therapeutically as many formal thoracotomy. (2) Excellent exposure can be obtained by the use of double-lumen endotracheal tubes. (3) Video-assisted thoracic surgery is an excellent alternative treatment for pneumothorax, blebs, and bullous disease. (4) Video-assisted thoracic surgery allows safe, complete, visually guided wedge resection of lung lesions, lobectomy, pericardiectomy, removal of mediastinal tumor, esophagectomy, and reconstruction of the thoracic esophagus. (5) Video-assisted thoracic surgery also allows management of a broad scope of other general thoracic diseases such as empyema, pleural effusion, and chest trauma (hemothorax), as well as cancer staging. (6) Video-assisted thoracic surgery will not compromise the primary diagnostic and therapeutic goals set forth for the patient. (7) Because conventional instruments and extended manipulation incisions can be used, video-assisted thoracic surgery offers the promise of expediency, safety, minimal discomfort, less postoperative pain, quick functional recuperation, excellent cosmetic healing, shortened stays in the hospital, and therefore savings in cost. Accordingly, we are now using video-assisted thoracic surgery to treat the majority of patients with surgical diseases of the chest.