[Complete video-assisted thoracoscopic anatomic segmentectomy for pulmonary diseases: the early experiences]

To evaluate the safety and feasibility of video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) anatomic segmentectomy for pulmonary diseases.

Between November 2009 and July 2011, 20 patients received consecutive VATS anatomic segmentectomy by single surgical group. There were 3 male and 17 female, aging from 32 to 81 years with a mean of 53 years. The patients included 12 cases of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (5 cases of bronchioloalveolar carcinoma, 6 cases of adenocarcinoma, and 1 case of squamous cell carcinoma), 7 cases of benign diseases (3 cases of bronchiectasis, 2 cases of inflammatory pseudotumor, 1 case of tuberculosis, and 1 case of sclerosing hemangioma) and 1 case of metastasis tumor. The locations of resected segments included 1 anterior segment, 3 posterior segments, 4 apical segments, and 2 superior segments in the right side; and 5 lingular segments, 3 trisegments, and 2 superior segments in the left side. Simultaneously, 3 patients with bronchiectasis underwent segmentectomy and lobectomy, 1 of 6 patients with adenocarcinoma underwent lingulectomy and thymectomy. The pathological TNM stages of 12 NSCLC patients were 9 cases of T1aN0M0, 1 case of T1bN0M0 and 2 cases of T2aN0M0.

Of these 20 patients, the median operative time was 155 minutes (range, 120 to 235 minutes), the median blood loss was 50 ml (range, 10 to 600 ml), the median drainage duration was 3 d (range, 1 to 6 d), and the median hospital stay was 6 d (range, 3 to 9 d). One patient who had undergone lingulectomy had a 600 ml intraoperative bleeding from lingular artery, and the bleeding was controlled by suturing the rupture under VATS. Bloody sputum occurred in 2 patients, prolonged air leak occurred in one patient for 5 days, and one patient developed subcutaneous emphysema that spontaneously resolved. No mortality was observed for 30 days after the surgery.

VATS anatomic segmentectomy is a feasible and safe technique with acceptable operative time, less blood loss, fewer complications, and shorter hospital stay.