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Emerging surgical pathways of thoracotomy
Meletios A Kanakis1, Andrew C Chatzis, Fotios A Mitropoulos
1Department of Thoracic Surgery, Sismanoglio General Hospital of Athens, 1 Sismanogliou Street, 15126, Maroussi, Athens, Greece, meletis_kanakis@yahoo.gr.
Updates in Surgery
|November 10, 2014
Summary
Thoracic incisions provide access to chest organs. Sometimes, multiple incisions are needed for complex surgeries, but a single incision can also be used for other areas, including the upper abdomen.
Area of Science:
- Thoracic surgery
- Surgical approaches
Background:
- Thoracic incisions are standard for accessing thoracic organs.
- Complex procedures may necessitate multiple thoracic incisions, either simultaneously or sequentially.
- Single thoracic incisions can sometimes provide access to extrathoracic sites.
Purpose of the Study:
- To discuss the surgical technique and experience of using a single thoracic incision for accessing extrathoracic organs.
- To evaluate the utility of a single thoracic incision for accessing upper abdominal or contralateral thoracic organs.
Main Methods:
- Review of surgical cases utilizing single thoracic incisions for extended access.
- Discussion of the technical aspects and outcomes associated with this approach.
Main Results:
- A single thoracic incision can provide adequate access to extrathoracic organs in selected cases.
- This approach has proven valuable for accessing upper abdominal organs and the contralateral hemithorax.
- Experience with this technique is presented.
Conclusions:
- Single thoracic incisions represent a valuable surgical approach for specific extrathoracic procedures.
- Careful patient selection is key to the successful application of this technique.
- Further experience supports the utility of this approach in complex surgical scenarios.
