Intercostal approach VATS is feasible for large-sized anterior mediastinal tumors

• Published in: Scientific reports 2024-07, Vol.14 (1), p.17227-7, Article 17227
• Main Authors: Ke, Lei, Liu, Jiacong, Shuai, Yongfeng, Zhu, Linhai, He, Cheng, Huang, Xuhua, Lv, Wang, Wang, Luming, Hu, Jian
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 692/308/2779/109; 692/4028; Adult; Aged; Analgesics; Anterior mediastinal tumor; Blood; Blood Loss, Surgical; Complications; Drainage - methods; Feasibility Studies; Female; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Intercostal approach video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery; Length of Stay; Male; Mediastinal Neoplasms - pathology; Mediastinal Neoplasms - surgery; Middle Aged; multidisciplinary; Operative Time; Pain, Postoperative - etiology; Patients; Postoperative; Postoperative Complications; Retrospective Studies; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Surgery; Surgical drains; Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted - methods; Treatment Outcome; Tumor size; Tumors; Wound drainage
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-67830-z

There is no consensus about whether relatively large mediastinal tumors (≥ 5.0 cm) are suitable for video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). Therefore, this study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of intercostal approach VATS for large-sized anterior mediastinal tumors (5.0–10.0 cm) with no invasion to the surrounding tissues and organs. A total of 129 patients with anterior mediastinal tumors who received surgery in our hospital between January 2018 and July 2022 were consecutively enrolled. Patients were divided into 2 groups based on mediastinal tumor diameter: Group A (tumor size between 1.0 and 4.9 cm) and Group B (tumor size between 5.0 and 10.0 cm). The primary endpoints were operation time, blood loss, and postoperative pain, and the secondary endpoints were the volume of drainage, drainage duration, postoperative hospital stay, and postoperative complications. Significant differences were found in the volume of drainage between the two groups (Group A: 218.4 ± 140.6, Group B: 398.9 ± 369.3, P   0.05). In addition, there existed no significant differences in the postoperative complications. Intercostal approach VATS is regarded as a feasible and safe surgical method for large-sized anterior mediastinal tumors (5.0–10.0 cm) with no invasion to the surrounding tissues and organs.