Transxiphoid hand-assisted videothoracoscopic surgery

Background. We have performed transxiphoid hand-assisted videothoracoscopy since 1995 to allow manual palpation in bilateral lung metastasectomy. This approach was extended to other thoracoscopic procedures requiring a handport. No extensive report about early and late results has yet been published. Methods. We retrospectively reviewed the first 100 consecutive patients undergoing transxiphoid hand-assisted videothoracoscopy. Acute and chronic postoperative pain, respiratory function, patient's satisfaction score ( 1 to 5), quality of life ( Short Form-36), and survival rate were evaluated. Results. Seventy-four patients had lung metastases, 5 had primary lung cancers, 16 had benign nodules, and 5 had Morgani's hernia. Five patients needed conversion to thoracotomy, whereas 7 successfully underwent a second transxiphoid operation. Sixty-five metastatic patients were bilaterally explored, 44 were without radiologic evidence of controlateral lesions, discovering 23 occult metastases and 10 patients with occult controlateral disease. A total of 207 minimal resections and 11 lobectomies were performed. Mean operative time was 103 +/- 35 minutes. We had no intraoperative mortality or major complications. Thirty-day postoperative morbidity documented arrhythmia ( n = 4) and acute pneumonia ( n = 4). Visual Analogue Scale pain, C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, and serum interleukin-6, - 8, and - 10 normalized within 72 hours. Respiratory function and most of the Short Form-36 domains recovered within 3 months. Six-month mean patient satisfaction score was 4.0 +/- 0.8. Three- and 5-year survival rates for metastatic patients were 52% and 43%, respectively. Mean disease-free interval was 12 +/- 5.8 months. Conclusions. Transxiphoid hand-assisted videothoracoscopy proved a good alternative to conventional approaches, and provided rapid recovery without affecting the survival rate in those patients with metastatic lesions. We recommend it whenever a handport during video-assisted procedure is required.