[New techniques in thoracic surgery. I]

Progress over the last 40 years has greatly reduced morbidity and mortality in the constantly changing field of thoracic surgery. The first part of this review focuses on current indications and limitations in lung surgery. Technical procedures for pneumonectomy, lobectomy, bronchial resection and conservative surgery are well established. Although major respiratory or cardiac failure still limit indications bronchogenic cancer extension is no longer a contraindication. Exeresis after 70 years of age is not an exception. Surgery for non-small cell lung cancer has given promising results with a 5-year survival rate of 60-80% for patients in stage I and II. For stage III, two recent comparative studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of preoperative adjuvant chemotherapy which should logically be proposed with or without radiotherapy in patients with resectable tumours. Surgical removal of lung metastases and mesotheliomas has also made considerable progress. Unfortunately, except for therapeutic trials, exeresis of small cell lung cancer does not provide any beneficial effect and cannot be proposed. Indications for surgery in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease however has been quite successful and now goes beyond classical exeresis of large compressive bullae. In many situations patients with diffuse emphysema can benefit from surgical reduction in lung volume before proposing transplantation. Lung transplantation is indicated for pulmonary fibrosis, pulmonary vascular disease and obstructive lung pulmonary disease with an overall survival rate of 50% at 5 years and 43% at 6 years. The rate of successful bilateral lung transplantation for cystic fibrosis remains to be determined.