• Jason Ali, Fan Haiyang, Giuseppe Aresu, Yang Chenlu, Jiang Gening, Diego Gonzalez-Rivas, and Jiang Lei.
• Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Tongji University, Shanghai, China; Department of Thoracic Surgery, Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Papworth Everard, United Kingdom.
• Ann. Thorac. Surg. 2018 Nov 1; 106 (5): 1519-1524.

BackgroundPerforming sublobar resection for early stage non-small cell lung carcinoma is becoming increasingly popular, with studies suggesting equivalent outcomes to lobectomy when sufficient lymph node sampling is performed. Furthermore, there has been a move to minimally invasive thoracic surgery facilitating enhanced recovery and reduced postoperative morbidity. The subxiphoid video-assisted thoracic surgery (SVATS) approach is a novel technique that is becoming increasingly popular, with evidence of reduced postoperative pain. Here, we report experience and the technique of performing segmentectomy by the uniportal SVATS approach.MethodsThe uniportal SVATS approach was used to perform all possible segmentectomies. Specific instruments were designed to facilitate performing surgery through this approach, and the operative technique is described and demonstrated with videos.ResultsBetween September 2014 and April 2017, 242 segmentectomies were performed by uniportal SVATS. Twenty-nine of the patients underwent bilateral procedures. The mean duration of surgery was 2.14 ± 0.78 hours. Lymph node stations were accessible, and a mean of 4.00 ± 1.00 lymph node stations and 10.64 ± 3.38 lymph nodes were sampled. The mean postoperative hospital length of stay was 4.67 ± 9.54 days. Only 4 cases required conversion to thoracotomy, and 3 required conversion to full lobectomy. There were no perioperative deaths, with 30-day survival of 100%.ConclusionsThis report demonstrates that the uniportal SVATS approach can be safely and effectively utilized to perform pulmonary segmentectomies. Our series demonstrates that it is possible to access and resect all segments by this novel approach to VATS.Copyright © 2018 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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