OBJECTIVE Whether video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) is associated with less shoulder dysfunction when compared with posterolateral thoracotomy (PLT) remains unclear. We therefore conducted this prospective study to assess the shoulder function in patients following major lung resection using either the VATS or PLT approach. METHODS Twenty-nine consecutive patients were prospectively recr...

STUDY OBJECTIVE The presence of pleural adhesions may render video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) difficult or impossible. The aim of this study was to assess the value of chest CT in the detection of pleural adhesions prior to VATS. DESIGN Prospective study of the accuracy of chest CT in detecting pleural adhesions prior to VATS. SETTING Tertiary-referra; teaching hospital and Veter...

BACKGROUND A variety of complications occur in patients with pulmonary aspergilloma. The safety and feasibility of a thoracoscopic approach to therapeutic lung resection for pulmonary aspergilloma have not been well evaluated. METHODS The medical records of patients who underwent video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) or a thoracotomy for therapeutic resection of pulmonary aspergilloma betwee...

BACKGROUND Incompleteness of interlobar fissures and pleural adhesions, common in tuberculous destroyed lung (TDL), are among "technical contraindications" for video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). The efficacy and safety of VATS in the treatment of TDL, has not yet been detailed in. OBJECTIVE The objective of the present study is to observe the efficacy and safety of VATS in the manag...

BACKGROUND Patients with malignant pleural effusion have a limited life expectancy. An increase in pleural and oncological treatment options and more accurate prognostic evaluation may help individualize treatment strategies. The aim of this study was to identify the prognostic indicators of overall survival (OS) after video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) talc pleurodesis for malignant pleura...

AIMS The purpose of this study was to identify the risk factors for major adverse events of VATS (Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery) lobectomy for primary lung cancer. METHODS 1806 Patients (1032 males, 57.1%) planned to undergo VATS lobectomy for stage IA-IIIA lung cancer from July 2007 to June 2012. The Thoracic Morbidity and Mortality Classification TM&M system was used to evaluate the prese...

There are no published reports that compare the outcomes of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) and minimal access spinal surgery (MASS) in anterior spinal reconstruction. We conducted a retrospective case-control study in a single center and systematically reviewed the literature to compare the efficacy and safety of VATS and MASS in anterior thoracic (T) and thoracolumbar junctional (...

OBJECTIVE Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomy has been employed for the treatment of lung cancer. Many investigators have reported that the outcomes of VATS lobectomy for lung cancer are comparable to those of thoracotomy; however, several controversial issues remain. One of the critical concerns is the safety. VATS lobectomy often requires an emergency conversion to thoracoto...

BACKGROUND The current trend in thoracoscopic surgery is to use fewer ports to decrease postoperative pain, chest wall paresthesia, and duration of hospital stay. In this study we compared the results of our current experience with single-incision thoracoscopic surgery (SITS) and conventional three-port video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (3P-VATS). METHODS From October 2011 to August 2012, ...

BACKGROUND Surgical treatment of stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) can be performed either by thoracotomy or by employing video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS). The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of VATS lobectomy for pathologic stage I NSCLC. MATERIAL AND METHODS Between December 2003 and December 2007, 529 patients with pathologic stage I NSCLC underwent lobecto...