Is uni-portal video-assisted thoracic surgery a feasible approach for the surgical treatment of bronchopulmonary sequestration?

BACKGROUND: Bronchopulmonary sequestration (BPS) is a rare congenital pulmonary disease. This study aimed to explore the role of uni-portal video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) in the surgical treatment of BPS. METHODS: Patients who received surgical treatment for BPS in Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital between January 2012 and October 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Perioperative characteristics, mortality and morbidity were compared between VATS group and control (open surgery) group. Subgroup analysis was further performed in the VATS group. RESULTS: A total of 89 patients with BPS were reviewed, including 39 males and 50 females with a mean age of 43.9 years (range, 15–71 years). The mean operation time was 142.5 min (range, 30–345 min), the mean blood loss was 168.9 mL (range, 20–1,600 mL), the mean duration of chest drainage was 4.6±1.9 days in the whole group. There were 21 patients in the uni-portal VATS group, 46 in the multi-portal VATS group and 22 in the control group. Patients in the VATS groups had significantly better outcome, shorter operation time, shorter postoperative hospital stay (POS), less blood loss and less postoperative complications (P<0.05). The rate of conversion to open surgery in the uni-portal VATS group and multi-portal VATS group was 9.1% and 8.7% respectively. Compared with multi-portal VATS group, the operation time, duration of chest drainage and POS were shorter in the uni-portal VATS group, but the incidence of postoperative complications was similar. CONCLUSIONS: Uni-portal VATS is a safe, feasible and effective method for selected BPS patients.