Utilizing the chest tube insertion site as the site of initial trocar insertion with an optical-access trocar in video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for spontaneous pneumothorax

BACKGROUND: In video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for spontaneous pneumothorax, the initial trocar can be inserted into the pleurocutaneous fistula formed during preoperative chest drain placement. The use of an optical-access trocar to replace the initial trocar and chest tube may have a greater success rate than blind trocar insertion. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the safety and feasibility of the use of an optical-access trocar to replace the initial trocar and chest tube during surgery for spontaneous pneumothorax. METHODS: The present study included 28 patients who underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for spontaneous pneumothorax following preoperative chest drain placement between April, 2017 and December, 2019. At the start of surgery, the chest drain was removed and the initial trocar was inserted into the pleural cavity. An optical-access trocar with an inner diameter of 5 mm was used as the initial trocar. To use a 0-degree endoscope for the optical-access trocar, this procedure requires the preparation of both, a 0-degree endoscope and a 30-degree endoscope. To evaluate the safety of the optical view method, the lungs and chest wall adjacent to the initial trocar insertion site were observed from the second trocar. RESULTS: The initial trocar could be inserted through the chest tube insertion site in 26 out of 28 cases (92.9%). No instances of lung injury or pulsatile bleeding around the initial trocar were observed. No cases of postoperative wound infection or wound dehiscence were observed. CONCLUSIONS: The use an optical-access trocar as the initial trocar when replacing a preoperatively placed chest tube is safe and feasible during video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for spontaneous pneumothorax.