Standardized surgical technique for uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy

Abstract

Uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery may be the approach for any thoracic procedure, from minor resections to complex reconstructive surgery. However, anatomical lobectomy represents its most common and clinically proven usage. A wide variety of information about uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomies can be found in the literature and multimedia sources. This article focuses on updating the surgical technique and includes important aspects such as the geometric approach, anaesthesia considerations, operating room set-up, tips about the incision, instrumentation management and the operative technique to perform the 5 lobectomies. The following issues are explained for each lobectomy: anatomical considerations, surgical steps and technical advice. Medical illustrations and videos are included to clarify the text with the goal of describing a standard surgical practice.

Keywords: Lobectomy; Standard technique; Uniportal; VATS (thoracic surgery; video-assisted).