Thoracoscopic resection of the lung with the ultrasonic scalpel

We used an ultrasonic scalpel, the Harmonic Scalpel (Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Cincinnati, OH), for limited thoracoscopic resection of the lung in 30 consecutive patients. There were no problems with bleeding in any of the 30 patients. After resection with Harmonic Scalpel the lung was closed with absorbable sutures. In 10 patients the operation was converted to lobectomy, and lymph node dissection was done because intraoperative histopathologic examination revealed lung cancer. Postoperative complications were not observed in the remaining 20 patients who had limited resection only. The Harmonic Scalpel is a useful tool for partial lung resection procedures. (Ann Thorac Surg 1999;67:1181-3) (C) 1999 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.