Who is a candidate for VATS Lobectomy?
Patients with lung cancer in an early stage, i.e. with small tumours that have not spread beyond the lung, are good candidates for this technique. For patients with large, centrally located tumours that have affected the large airways or lymph nodes in the middle of the chest and patients who have undergone previous chest surgery, a traditional thoracotomy is often the better method. The VATS technique can also be used for certain benign lesions or metastatic lung lesions.
Benefits of VATS Lobectomy
Less invasive than traditional thoracotomy:
- Only two small incisions of 2-to-3 cm and one of 4-to-8 cm
- Ribs are not spread
- Less pain
- Faster recovery
- Lower risk of infection and blood loss
Conclusion
Patients undergoing VATS lobectomy or segmentectomy have less pain and recover faster compared with the group of patients undergoing conventional thoracotomy. There is also a lower risk of infection and bleeding.
The literature has shown that this technique can be used with few complications. The hospital stay is shorter and the long-term results are at least the same or better.