Uniportal versus three‐port video‐assisted thoracoscopic surgery for non‐small cell lung cancer: A retrospective study

BACKGROUND: To investigate the uniportal video‐assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) technique and safety of non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with uniportal and three‐port VATS. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated 146 consecutive patients with NSCLC who underwent VATS lobectomy between January 2018 and May 2018. The general clinical date, perioperative data and life quality were individually compared and analyzed between the two groups. RESULTS: Intraoperative blood loss was significantly lower in the uniportal than in the three‐port group (p = 0.035), and significantly shorter chest tube drainage and postoperative hospital stay durations were found in the uniportal than in the three‐port group (p = 0.022 and p = 0.008). The postoperative 24 and 72 h numerical rating scale (NRS) scores were significantly lower in the uniportal group than in the three‐port group (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001). There were no significant differences between the two groups in the number or stations of total lymph node dissected (p = 0.222 and p = 0.159). There were no significant differences between the two groups in the postoperative total or respiratory complications (p = 0.917 and p = 0.930). CONCLUSIONS: Uniportal VATS is a safe and effective alternative for patients with NSCLC. It is a preferable option for appropriate cases as it is conducive to patients’ postoperative recovery and quality of life.