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Damonte A. Editorial: “Experiencia en lobectomías por cirugía videotoracoscópica uniportal". Rev Argent Cir. 2024;116(4):251-252
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ENGLISH VERSION
Medicine has been constantly evolving since paꢀent. Amore et al.7 suggested that the learning
its incepꢀon and thoracic surgery is not an excepꢀon. curve reduces, but does not eliminate, the number of
Undoubtedly, the greatest advance of the last 30 reacꢀve or preempꢀve conversions. In his series, the
years has been the development of video-assisted iniꢀal conversion rate was 18% and decreased to 5.9%
1
thoracoscopic surgery lobectomy .
once the iniꢀal experience ended.
3
Its progression and adopꢀon by different
In my doctoral thesis presented in 2021 we
surgical teams has been variable in local and evidenced similar complicaꢀon rates in thoracotomy
internaꢀonal seꢃngs. At the beginning of 2010, lobectomies. The video-assisted thoracoscopic
the Spaniard Diego González Rivas introduced the approach (mainly uniportal) showed a slightly lower
disrupꢀve uniportal technique, a revoluꢀon in thoracic incidence of complicaꢀons, but morbidity was
surgery. This technique, which uses video-assisted significantly higher in those who required conversion.
thoracoscopy to resect a lung lobe through a small
-cm incision, has become popular worldwide.
Notably, the mortality menꢀoned in the arꢀcle
4
is zero. However, it would be interesꢀng to compare
Many surgeons were trained in China, including the authors’ experience with open vs. thoracoscopic
me in 2018, and we adopted the new technique in our surgery in a future publicaꢀon.
workplace, which became very popular in emerging
In my opinion, the first 30 cases outline
countries. This technique was the philosopher’s stone the adopꢀon of the technique and it is during this
unꢀl the beginning of the pandemic. Then a healthy period that one should be most alert to the risk of
compeꢀꢀon started with roboꢀc surgery.
vascular injury. Surgeons who perform anterolateral
The arꢀcle presented by the group from thoracotomies and who have experience with video-
Insꢀtuto Alexander Fleming is a valuable contribuꢀon assisted thoracoscopic surgery will be the most likely
to our naꢀonal case series.
The main strengths of the study are the number
to benefit.
In a second phase, during the next 30 to 60
of paꢀents and the low conversion rate to thoracotomy cases, the technique is consolidated and a plateau is
reported (< 2%) compared to previous reports from reached in which the operaꢀve ꢀme reduces to less
3
Hospital de Clínicas4
Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires (13%),
than 2 hours and the number of dissected lymph nodes
5
(
16%), VATS Brazil Study (4.6%) and the iniꢀal series increases.
6
published by Diego González Rivas (2.9%).
Finally, when surgeons have accumulated
The authors did not report any intraoperaꢀve more than 60 cases, they can perform more complex
bleeding complicaꢀons, and conversion to a 2-port procedures, such as bronchoplasty procedures, vascular
procedure or thoracotomy seems to have been resecꢀons or VATS lobectomy aꢄer neoadjuvant
preempꢀve conversion rather than reacꢀve conversion. immunotherapy.
In my opinion, I do not consider the addiꢀon
of a trocar to be relevant in the post-operaꢀve period approaches are shorter length of hospital stay, less
when it is difficult to use mechanical stapler. postoperaꢀve pain, beꢅer cosmeꢀc results and lower
The concept of preempꢀve conversion, complicaꢀon rates.
The advantages of minimally invasive
converꢀng before major bleeding occurs, has changed
However, I emphasize that the fundamental
the rate of serious intraoperaꢀve complicaꢀons and goalsoflungcancersurgeryare(inorderofimportance):
the overall mortality associated with this technique. 1) paꢀent safety; 2) correct oncologic criteria (type
This is very important given the challenge that modern of resecꢀon, margins, lymph nodes); 3) type of
thoracic surgeons face with the advent of neoadjuvant approach.
immunotherapy.
Success in surgery, especially in uniportal
Conversion to thoracotomy should not be surgery, will always depend on the balance between
considered a failure, but rather a minor harm to the these last two concepts.
Referencias bibliográficas /References
1
2
3
4
.
.
.
.
Roviaro GC, Rebuffat C, Varoli F, Vergani C, Maciocco M, Grignani
F, et al. Videoendoscopic thoracic surgery. Int Surg. 1993; 78(1):
5. Terra RM, Kazantzis T, Ribero Pinto-Filho D, Marcantonio Camargo
S, Marꢀns-Neto F, Nassar Guimaraes, et al. Anatomic pulmonary
resecꢀon by video-assisted thoracoscopy: the Brazilian experience
(VATS Brazil study). J Bras Pneumol. 2016;42(3):215-21.
6. González-Rivas D, Paradela M, Fernández R, Delgado M, Fieira
E, Méndez L, et al. Uniportal Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic
Lobectomy: Two Years of Experience. Ann Thorac Surg. 2013;95(2):
426-43.
7. Amore D, Di Natale D, Scaramuzzi R, Curcio C. Reasons for
conversion during VATS lobectomy: what happens with
increased experience. J Vis Surg. 2018;4:53. doi: 10.21037/
jovs.2018.03.02. eCollecꢀon 2018.
4
-9.
Azarola MZ, Rosales AM, Rosenberg M, Navarro EA, Furnari B, Lima
MA. Experiencia en lobectomías por cirugía videotoracoscópica
uniportal. Rev Argent Cirug. 2024;116(4):258-265.
Smith DE, Dietrich A, Nicolas M, Da Lozzo A, Beveraggi E.
Conversion during thoracoscopic lobectomy: related factors and
learning curve impact. Updates Surg. 2015;67(4):427-32.
Damonte A. Beneficios y limitaciones de las técnicas mínimamente
invasivas en las resecciones pulmonares. Tesis de Doctorado,
Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, 2021.