The role of thoracic surgeons in spinal surgery: our clinical experiences

In the thoracic area, the outside edge of the vertebrae exhibits intricate anatomical features. A multidisciplinary approach is necessary, particularly in scoliosis surgery, while performing manipulations on the vertebra from the front. Our objective in this study was to enhance the existing body of knowledge by sharing our firsthand experience in the field of spinal surgery.

We have seen a total of 35 cases in our investigation. When doing vertebral body tethering (VBT) in chosen scoliosis patients, thoracoscopy and thoracotomy have been the favored methods. On the other hand, alternative circumstances have favored the usual thoracotomy method.

We operated on three (8.6%) patients for trauma, six (17.1%) for mass, and 26 (74.2%) for scoliosis. Twenty (57.1%) of the patients operated for scoliosis underwent VBT. In patients undergoing VBT, a greater number of vertebrae were accessed thoracoscopy compared to thoracotomy (p = 0.003). There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of chest tube follow-up time, length of stay in the intensive care unit, and hospital stay (p = 0.451, p = 0.403, p = 0.125).

Our investigation demonstrated that the thoracoscopy is capable of intervening with a greater number of vertebrae compared to thoracotomy. Thoracic surgeons primarily focus their research on masses and trauma related to spinal surgery. Our study's large patient population with scoliosis surgery adds to the existing body of knowledge in the field of thoracic surgery. This study is significant as it is the second in the existing literature to document the experiences of thoracic surgeons from Turkey use of VBT.

Not applicable.