Non-grasping en bloc mediastinal lymph node dissection for video-assisted thoracoscopic lung cancer surgery

BACKGROUND: This study aims to introduce an optimized method named “non-grasping en bloc mediastinal lymph node dissection (MLND)” through video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). METHODS: Between February 2009 and July 2013, 402 patients with clinical stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) underwent “non-grasping en bloc MLND” conducted by one surgical team. Target lymph nodes (LNs) were exposed following non-grasping strategy with simple combination of a metal endoscopic suction and an electrocoagulation hook or an ultrasound scalpel. In addition, dissection was performed following a stylized three-dimensional process according to the anatomic features of each station. Clinical and pathological data were prospectively collected and retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: The postoperative morbidity and mortality were 17.4% (70/402) and 0.5% (2/402), respectively. The total number of LNs (N1 + N2) was 16.0 ± 5.9 (range of 5–52), while the number of N2 LNs was 9.5 ± 4.0 (range of 3–23). The incidences of postoperative upstaging from N0 to N1 and N2 disease were 7.7% and 12.2%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Non-grasping en bloc MLND enables en bloc dissection of mediastinal LNs with comparable morbidity and oncological efficacy while saving troubles of excessive interference of instruments and potential damage to the target LN.