THORACOSCOPIC LOBECTOMY FOR BENIGN DISEASES

The few reports in the literature on thoracoscopic anatomic lung resec tions were almost exclusively for early primary lung cancers. We repor t our combined experience on video-assisted thoracoscopic (VAT) lobect omy for benign diseases from two major hospitals in Hong Kong over a 2 0-month period. From August 1993 to March 1995, 66 VAT lobectomies wer e performed; of this number, 10 cases (15%) were for benign diseases ( 5 tuberculosis, 2 organized pneumonia, 1 bronchiectasis, 1 sclerosing hemangioma, 1 infected bronchogenic cyst). There was no mortality or i ncidence of intraoperative complications. Postoperative complications occurred in one patient with tuberculosis and consisted of persistent air leak and subsequent wound infection. There were no long-term compl ications after a mean follow-up of 11 months. The mean duration of che st tube drainage was 6.7 days and that of hospital stay was 9.8 days. These results were not statistically different from those achieved in VAT lobectomies performed for malignant tumors (5.0 days for drainage and 6.8 days for hospital stay) despite the fact that hilar dissection was sometimes more difficult in the former because of inflammatory ch anges. We conclude that VAT lobectomy for benign diseases is technical ly feasible even though its role in thoracic surgery remains to be def ined.