[Video-assisted techniques in phthisiosurgery]

Ten years' experience in applying video-assisted techniques to surgery of pulmonary tuberculosis is generalized. For surgical diagnosis and treatment, a total of 465 patients underwent the following procedures: video-assisted thoracoscopy (n = 133), video-assisted open mini-invasive thoracotomies (n = 117), and mediastinoscopy (n = 215). The main indications for 250 video-assisted thoracoscopic operations were exudative pleuritis or pleural empyema, disseminated lesions to or round masses in the lung of unknown genesis, restrictive forms of pulmonary tuberculosis. After video-assisted thoracoscopic operations, complications were stated in 3.6% of cases; there were no deaths. The accumulated experience has shown that video-assisted thoracoscopy is of relatively limited utility. It is most effective in diagnosing pleuritis and disseminated lung lesions of unknown etiology. Video-assisted mini-invasive operations combine many advantages of open and endosurgical interventions. They may find more extensive use in the surgical treatment of different forms of pulmonary and pleural tuberculosis. In 215 patients, the indication for mediastinoscopy was intrathoracic lymph nodal abnormality of unknown genesis. Specimens for morphological studies were obtained in all cases, which promoted timely diagnosis and definition of treatment policy. Complications were observed in 1.4% of cases; no deaths were seen. Video-assisted mediasthinoscopy has been applied in the past 3 years. This endosurgical technique is technologically new, has a high resolution, and deserves wide use in thoracic surgery.