
<b>VATS is like laparascopic [or keyhole] surgery, but in the chest. </b>  It is a useful choice for lung metastases.

Search Pubmed for &&url 

Search Pubmed for &&url


Below are some annotated citations of Medical Journal Article abstracts; they have been heavily edited. The full abstracts can be found on PubMed.

1. Harefuah 2001 Feb;140(2):91-4, 192 
<b>[Video-assisted thoracic surgery--experience with 586 patients]. [Article in Hebrew] </b>
Galili R, Nesher N, Sharony R, et al. Dept. of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Carmel Medical Center and Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa. 

Summary: They concluded that "thoracoscopy is a minimally invasive surgical technique with very low morbidity and high diagnostic accuracy. Postoperative recovery is brief and uneventful." 
&&url PMID: 11242935 


2. J Surg Oncol 2001 Jan;76(1):47-52 
<b>Pulmonary metastasectomy: might the type of resection affect survival? </b>
Mineo TC, Ambrogi V, Tonini G, Nofroni I. Thoracic Surgery Tor Vergata University, Rome, Italy. mineo@med.uniroma2.it 

They concluded: "The type of resection did not disclose statistically significant differences on survival. Minimal surgery, especially by laser device, is recommended for less morbidity." 
&&url PMID: 11223824 


3. Surgery 1999 Oct;126(4):636-41; discussion 641-2 
<b>Diagnostic and therapeutic video-assisted thoracic surgery resection of pulmonary metastases. </b>
Lin JC, Wiechmann RJ, Szwerc MF, et al. Allegheny University Hospitals, Allegheny General, Pittsburgh, PA 15212, USA. 

They concluded: "Results with VATS resection of peripheral pulmonary metastases for diagnostic and potentially curative intentions appear comparable with historical results by "open" thoracotomy. "
They added: "Conversion to thoracotomy is indicated when lesions identified preoperatively are not found or when technical problems encountered may compromise surgical margins when resecting lung metastases for potential cure."  
&&url PMID: 10520909 

 
4. Nippon Geka Gakkai Zasshi 1998 Dec;99(12):855-60 
<b>[Surgical management of pulmonary metastases].[Article in Japanese] </b>
Hara S, Otsuka H, Hirohata T, et al. First Department of Surgery, Kinki University School of Medicine, Osakasayama, Japan. 

They found that "the size of pulmonary tumors or tumor doubling time has no significant effect on survival, while the number of metastatic foci does." 
They also concluded, "VATS is not be recommended for metastatic cancer surgery, because intraoperative identification of metastatic foci is often difficult". Publication Types: Review 
&&url PMID: 10063499 

this section compiled December 2001 doctordee

