Title: Resection of pulmonary nodules using video-assisted thoracic surgery
Abstract: Background.The aim of this study was to assess the experience with video-assisted thoracic surgery for the resection of pulmonary nodules.Methods.This voluntary rel~try (20 centers) included 388 patients with either benign (n = 171) or malignant (n = 217) pulmonary nodules.Pulmonary nodules were located using computed tomog~aphy scan-gnided injection of methylene blue (59 patients) and hook wire technique (17 patients).Results.Video-assisted thoracic surgery was converted into thoracotomy in 67 patients (17%) because of technical emergency in 4, inability to complete resection in 33, and the need to perform lobectomy for cancer through thoracotomy in 30.In other patients, video-assisted tho-racic surgery allowed wedge resection in 300 cases and lobectomy in 21 cases.No intraoperative and two postoperative deaths (0.56%) occurred.The complication rate was 8% (n = 31).Mean durations of chest tube placement and hospital stay were 3.3 days (range, 1 to 20 days) and 6 days (range, 1 to 25 days), respectively.Video-assisted thoracic surgery was judged by the surgeon to be a diagnostic procedure 226 times (58%) and a therapeutic procedure 162 times (42%). Conclusion.Video-assisted thoracic surgery appears to be safe and remains mainly a diagnostic procedure for malignant tumors.