[Video-assisted thoracic surgery: clinical experience among 1264 patients]

To summarize the clinical experience in video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS).

From December 1993 to December 2005 1264 patients, 894 males and 370 females, aged 38.9 +/- 12.0, underwent VATS, including bullectomy in 622 cases, resection of mediastinal tumor or cyst in 119 cases, resection of esophageal diseases in 107 cases, lobectomy or wedge-shaped lung resection in 215 cases, lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) in 17 cases, treatment of thoracic injury in 28 cases, treatment of other thoracic diseases in 72 cases, and biopsy in 84 cases. For the resection of esophageal carcinoma VATS was conducted via the right approach, the esophagus was dissociated, the lymph nodes were resected, upper-abdominal incision was made, the stomach was dissociated and drawn up to the neck region, a cervical incision was made to anastomose the stomach and the residue of esophagus.

Operation was completed by VATS successfully in 1230 patients, and 34 cases were converted to traditional thoracotomy because of thoracic adhesion or to radically treat the malignant tumors. Major complications occurred in 45 cases (3.56%), including air-leak lasting more than 7 days in 30 cases, post-operative bleeding in 4 cases (3 of which received VATS once more for hemostasis and the other underwent thoracotomy), hydrothorax or pneumothorax in 3 cases that underwent water-closed drainage, esophageal mucous rupture in 4 cases with achalasia and one case with leiomyoma, all of which underwent repair immediately, infection of pleural cavity in one case after the resection of esophageal diverticulum, and pneumonia in one case after LVRS. One patient with spontaneous pneumothorax and respiratory failure died 5 days after the bullectomy. Spontaneous pneumothorax occurred in 10 patients 2 months to 2 years after VATS 3 of which underwent bullectomy and pleurodesis by VATS once more.

Spontaneous pneumothorax and some benign thoracic diseases are the major indications of VATS; however, great care should be expended to decide to treat malignant diseases by VATS. It is very important to train the surgeons who are to practice VATS. The practice of VATS should be individualized.