• B Passlick, C Born, J Sklarek, J Zoller, and O Thetter.
• Thoraxchirurgische Abteilung, Zentralkrankenhaus Gauting.
• Zentralbl Chir. 1997 Jan 1; 122 (8): 633-6.

Aim Of The StudyWith only a few exceptions every pulmonary nodule of unknown dignity has to be clarified by biopsy. Aim of the present study was to analyze the usefulness of minimal invasive thoracic surgery in patients with indeterminate pulmonary lesions.MethodsIn the study included were 121 patients (67 male/54 female), who were primarily treated by minimal-invasive surgery during the period 1992-1995. Preoperatively, a single pulmonary nodule was diagnosed in 89 patients. 32 patients had two or more lesions.ResultsUsing the minimal invasive approach a pulmonary nodule was successfully localized and resected in 83 (68.5%) patients. In 33 patients the operation was classified as diagnostic, in 36 patients benign or inflammatory tumors were completely resected and in 14 patients palliative resections of malignant tumors were performed. Overall, an extension of the operative approach was necessary in 38 (31.5%) of the patients. In 23 patients a "mini-thoracotomy" (< 5 cm) was used to localize the nodule. A standard thoracotomy was performed in 15 patients, mostly because of massive adhesions.ConclusionsThe minimal invasive approach has become a routine procedure in thoracic surgery and is extremely useful in the diagnosis of indeterminate pulmonary nodules.

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