Modified Minimally Invasive Posterolateral Thoracotomy

Purpose:The aim of this study was to introduce a modified minimally invasive posterolateral thoracotomy. It was compared with Muscle-Sparing posterolateral thoracotomy in terms of pain scale of post-thoracotomy, average hospital stay, and the time of operation.Methods:186patients operated from January1,2011to April1,2013were collected in this study.136patients underwent modified minimally invasive posterolateral thoracotomy(Group A) and50had a Muscle-Sparing posterolateral thoracotomy(Group B). Postoperative pain (quantitated by the numerical rating scale), average hospital stay after operation, total operation time, and complication after surgery were evaluated.Results:The two groups had no significant difference in gender, age, operation types and disease type. The total operation time of group A was108.40±50.15min, significantly shorter than the time of group B, which was137.95±75.65min (P<0.05);Group A’s Hospital stay after operation was7.31±3.22days, shorter than group B’s10.85±8.71days (P<0.05); Postoperative pain at1,2,3day after operation in two groups respectively were2.19±0.87,2.34±1.16,1.74±0.96and2.85±1.14,2.70±0.73,2.05±0.76, which was significantly different (P<0.05, P<0.05, P<0.05) There were no significant differences in postoperative complications between two groups, such as infection, subcutaneous emphysema, and hematoma.Conclusion:Modified minimally invasive posterolateral thoracotomy display a better role at reduce postoperative pain, shorten operative time and hospital stay. It’s a simple and safe technique.