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VATS
Lobectomy
December
20, 2008 |
In the past lung surgery
was considered quite
invasive and many
patients experienced
pain long after the
procedure was
completed. Dr. Paul
DiGiorgi is a
cardiothoracic surgeon
with Lee Memorial Health
System. He says, “Pain
after a large incision
on the chest wall is
significant and after
about a month and a half
the people will still
have severe pain from
that.” Now some new
technology is helping
ease that pain for many
patients who undergo a
lobectomy. A lobectomy
is a surgery where part
of the lung is removed.
“What’s called a VATS
lobectomy and what that
is, is a video assisted
thorascopic surgery.
It’s a minimally
invasive surgery where
instead of having a
large incision on your
chest we can do the same
lung re-section using
small ports,” says
Dr.DiGiorgi. The tiny
incisions and the use of
a video assisted scope
helps to ease the pain
of recovery for
patients. “When you do
it minimally invasively
without any
rib-spreading, at about
a month only five
percent of patients have
significant pain so the
pain difference is
really tremendous.”
While he uses the VATS
lobectomy to treat
several lung cancer
patients, Dr.Digiorgi
says the technique can
be used to treat other
lung problems as well.
“Most of it is for lung
cancer but really it can
be sued for any chest
surgery, whether it’s a
benign tumor, infusions
or fluid on the lung,
biopsies any lung
surgery can be done
minimally invasively.”
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