Video-assisted thoracoscopic pulmonary resections - The Melbourne experience

Despite its privileged economic and educational place in the world, Melbourne was relatively slow to embrace video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) for lobectomy. The initial driver of this was Professor C Peter Clarke at the Austin Hospital at the beginning of the new millennium. His legacy was carried on by his apprentice, but at St Vincent's Hospital. After a period of slow development, it became the procedure of choice from 2005, and began to filter sporadically to other hospitals from 2010.

This paper details the historical development, techniques and results of 343 VATS pulmonary resections (including lobectomies, sub-lobar anatomical resections, sleeve resections, bi-lobectomies and pneumonectomies).

In-hospital and 30-day mortality was 2.0% and 5-year survival for all stages of NSCLC was 70%. Over 36% of patients were stage II-III using the new 7(th) revision TNM staging system. The conversion to thoracotomy rate was 4.7%. The estimated learning curve for this experience VATS lobectomy appears to be in the range of 15-20 cases. In this series, the same lymph node dissection or sampling was attempted and usually achieved as would have occurred at thoracotomy.

The results confirm the findings of other large case series that the benefits of a minimally invasive approach are achieved without compromising the long-term survival.