Ultrasound-guided serratus anterior plane block enhances postoperative analgesia and recovery in thoracoscopic surgery

BACKGROUND The serratus anterior muscle,located in the lateral aspect of the thorax,plays a crucial role in shoulder movement and stability.Thoracoscopic surgery,while minimally invasive,often results in significant postoperative pain,complicating patient recovery and potentially extending hospital stays.Traditional anesthesia methods may not adequately address this pain,leading to increased complications such as agitation due to inadequate pain management.AIM To evaluate the application value of ultrasound-guided serratus anterior plane block(SAPB)in patients undergoing thoracoscopic surgery,focusing on its effects on postoperative analgesia and rehabilitation.METHODS Eighty patients undergoing thoracoscopic surgery between August 2021 and December 2022 were randomly divided into two groups:An observation group receiving ultrasound-guided SAPB and a control group receiving standard care without SAPB.Both groups underwent general anesthesia and were monitored for blood pressure,heart rate(HR),oxygen saturation,and pulse.The primary outcomes measured included mean arterial pressure(MAP),HR,postoperative visual analogue scale(VAS)scores for pain,supplemental analgesic use,and incidence of agitation.RESULTS The observation group showed significantly lower cortisol and glucose concentrations at various time points post-operation compared to the control group,indicating reduced stress responses.Moreover,MAP and HR levels were lower in the observation group during and after surgery.VAS scores were significantly lower in the observation group at 1 h,4 h,6 h,and 12 h post-surgery,and the rates of analgesic supplementation and agitation were significantly reduced compared to the control group.CONCLUSION Ultrasound-guided SAPB significantly improves postoperative analgesia and reduces agitation in patients undergoing thoracoscopic surgery.This technique stabilizes perioperative vital signs,decreases the need for supplemental analgesics,and minimizes postoperative pain and stress responses,underscoring its high application value in enhancing patient recovery and rehabilitation post-thoracoscopy.

Uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic fissureless right upper lobe anterior segmentectomy for inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor:A case report

BACKGROUND Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors(IMTs)are exceptionally rare neoplasms with intermediate malignant potential.Surgery is the accepted treatment option,aiming for complete resection with clear margins.CASE SUMMARY A 39-year-old woman presented with a growing solitary pulmonary nodule measuring 2.0 cm in the right upper lobe(RUL)of the lung.The patient underwent a RUL anterior segmentectomy using uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopy.A preliminary tissue diagnosis indicated malignancy;however,it was later revised to an IMTs.Due to the absence of a minor fissure between the right upper and middle lobes,an alternative resection approach was necessary.Therefore,we utilized indocyanine green injection to aid in delineating the intersegmental plane.Following an uneventful recovery,the patient was discharged on the third postoperative day.Thereafter,annual chest tomography scans were scheduled to monitor for potential local recurrence.CONCLUSION This case underscores the challenges in diagnosing and managing IMTs,showing the importance of accurate pathologic assessments and tailored surgical strategies.

The Application of Forward Control Nursing in Anesthesia, Recovery, and Rehabilitation of Thoracoscopic Lung Cancer Radical Surgery

Objective: To explore the clinical application effect of formulating the operating room nursing work procedure sheet for elderly lung cancer patients in thoracoscopic radical surgery. Methods: A total of 85 elderly patients with lung cancer treated in our hospital from May 2022 to May 2023 were included as the study population for this research. They were divided into a study group of 42 cases and a regular group of 43 cases. The regular group of elderly patients received routine nursing care, while the study group of elderly patients was provided with the operating room nursing care work procedure sheet. The surgical duration, intraoperative blood loss, time to mobilization, and postoperative complication rate were compared and analyzed between the two groups. Results: Compared to the regular group, the study group had significantly shorter surgical duration and time to mobilization, as well as less intraoperative blood loss (P < 0.05). The overall incidence of postoperative complications in the study group (4.76%) was significantly lower than that in the regular group (19.05%) (P Conclusion: Formulating the operating room nursing work procedure sheet for elderly lung cancer patients can effectively improve surgical efficiency, reduce the incidence of postoperative complications, and promote patient prognosis in thoracoscopic radical surgery. Therefore, this model is worth promoting and adopting in clinical practice.

Primary repair of esophageal atresia gross type C via thoracoscopic magnetic compression anastomosis:A case report

BACKGROUND Esophageal atresia(EA)is a life-threatening congenital malformation in newborns,and the traditional repair approaches pose technical challenges and are extremely invasive.Therefore,surgeons have been actively investigating new minimally invasive techniques to address this issue.Magnetic compression anastomosis has been reported in several studies for its potential in repairing EA.In this paper,the primary repair of EA with magnetic compression anastomosis under thoracoscopy was reported.CASE SUMMARY A full-term male weighing 3500 g was diagnosed with EA gross type C.The magnetic devices used in this procedure consisted of two magnetic rings and several catheters.Tracheoesophageal fistula ligation and two purse strings were performed.The magnetic compression anastomosis was then completed thoracoscopically.After the primary repair,no additional operation was conducted.A patent anastomosis was observed on the 15th day postoperatively,and the magnets were removed on the 23rd day.No leakage existed when the transoral feeding started.CONCLUSION Thoracoscopic magnetic compression anastomosis may be a promising minimally invasive approach for repairing EA.

Surgical approaches for stage Ⅰ and Ⅱ thymoma-associated myasthenia gravis:feasibility of complete video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) thymectomy in comparison with trans-sternal resection

Complete resection could be achieved in virtually all myasthenic patients with Masaoka stage I and II thymoma us- ing the trans-sternal technique. Whether this is appropriate for minimally invasive approach is not yet clear. We evalu- ated the feasibility of complete video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery （VATS） thymectomy for the treatment of Ma- saoka stage I and Ⅱ thymoma-associated myasthenia gravis, compared to conventional trans-sternal thymectomy. We summarized 33 patients with Masaoka stage I and II thymoma-associated myasthenia gravis between April 2006 and September 2011. Of these, 15 patients underwent right-sided complete VATS （the VATS group） by us- ing adjuvant pneuomomediastinum, comparing with 18 patients using the trans-sternal approach （the T3b group）. No intraoperative death was found and no VATS case required conversion to median sternotomy. Significant differences between the two groups regarding duration of surgery and volume of intraoperative blood loss （P = 0.001 and P 〈 0.001, respectively） were observed. Postoperative morbidities were 26.7% and 33.3% for the VATS and T3b groups, respectively. All 33 patients were followed up for 12 to 61 months in the study. The cumulative probabilities of reaching complete stable remission and effective rate were 26.7% （4/15） and 93.3% （14/15） in the VATS group, which had a significantly higher complete stable remission and effective rate than those in the T3b group （P = 0.026 and P = 0.000, respectively）. We conclude that VATS thymectomy utilizing adjuvant pneuomo- mediastinum for the treatment of stage I and II thymoma-associated myasthenia gravis is technically feasible but deserves further investigation in a large series with long-term follow-up.

Nonintubated uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for primary spontaneous pneumothorax

Objective： The objective of the current study was to evaluate the feasibility and safety of nonintubated nniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery （VATS） for the management of primary spontaneous pneumothorax （PSP）. Methods： From November 2011 to June 2013, 32 consecutive patients with PSP were treated by nonintubated uniportal thoracoscopic bullectomy using epidnral anaesthesia and sedation without endotracheal intubation. An incision 2 cm in length was made at the 6th intercostal space in the median axillary line. The pleural space was entered by blunt dissection for placement of a soft incision protector. Instruments were then inserted through the incision protector to perform thoracoscopic bullectomy. Data were collected within a minimum follow-up period of 10 months. Results： The average time of surgery was 49.0 rain （range, 33-65 rain）. No complications were recorded. The postoperative feeding time was 6 h. The mean postoperative chest tube drainage and hospital stay were 19.3 h and 41.6 h, respectively. The postoperative pain was mild for 30 patients （93.75%） and moderate for two patients （6.25%）. No recurrences ofpneumothorax were observed at follow-up. Conclusions： The initial results indicated that nonintubated uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic operations are not only technically feasible, but may also be a safe and less invasive alternative for select patients in the management of PSP. This is the first report to include the use of a nonintubated uniportal technique in VATS for such a large number of PSP cases. Further work and development of instruments are needed to define the applications and advantages of this technique.

Recent advances in uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery

Thanks to the recent improvements in video-assisted thoracoscopic techniques （VATS） and anesthetic procedures, a great deal of complex lung resections can be performed avoiding open surgery. The experience gained through VATS techniques, enhancement of the surgical instruments ,improvement of high definition cameras and avoidance of intubated general anesthesia have been the greatest advances to minimize the trauma to the patient. Uniportal VATS for major resections has become a revolution in the treatment of lung pathologies since initially described 4 years ago. The huge number of surgical videos posted on specialized websites, live surgery events and experimental courses has contributed to the rapid learning of uniportal major thoracoscopic surgery during the last years. The future of the thoracic surgery is based on evolution of surgical procedures and anesthetic techniques to try to reduce the trauma to the patient. Further development of new technologies probably will focus on sealing devices for all vessels and fissure, refined staplers and instruments, improvements in 3D systems or wireless cameras, and robotic surgery. As thoracoscopic techniques continue to evolve exponentially, we can see the emergence of new approaches in the anesthetical and the perioperative management of these patients. Advances in anesthesia include lobectomies performed without the employment of general anesthesia, through maintaining spontaneous ventilation, and with minimally sedated patients. Uniportal VATS resections under spontaneous ventilation probably represent the least invasive approach to operate lung cancer.

Safety and feasibility of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for stage IIIA lung cancer

Objective： The current study was prospectively designed to explore the application of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery （VATS） radical treatment for patients with stage ⅢA lung cancer, with the primary endpoints being the safety and feasibility of this operation and the second endpoints being the survival and complications after the surgery. Methods： A total of 51 patients with radiologically or mediastinoscopically confirmed stage ⅢA lung cancer underwent VATS radical treatment, during which the standard pulmonary lobectomy and mediastinal lymph node dissection were performed after pre-operative assessment. The operative time, intraoperative blood loss/ complications, postoperative recovery, postoperative complications, and lymph node dissection were recorded and analyzed. This study was regarded as successful if the surgical success rate reached 90% or higher. Results： A total of 51 patients with non-small cell lung cancer （NSCLC） were enrolled in this study from March 2009 to February 2010. The median post-operative follow-up duration was 50.5 months. Of these 51 patients, 41 （80.4%） had N2 lymph node metastases. All patients underwent the thoracoscopic surgeries, among whom 50 （98%） received pulmonary lobectomy and mediastinal lymph node dissection completely under the thoracoscope, 6 had their incisions extended to about 6 cm due to larger tumor sizes, and 1 had his surgery performed using a 12 cm small incision for handling the adhesions between lymph nodes and blood vessels. No patient was converted to conventional open thoracotomy. No perioperative death was noted. One patient received a second surgery on the second post-operative day due to large drainage （〉1,000 mL）, and the postoperative recovery was satisfactory. Up to 45 patients （88.2%） did not suffer from any perioperative complication, and 6 （11.8%） experienced one or more complications. Conclusions： VATS radical treatment is a safe and feasible treatment for stage ⅢA lung cancer.

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for bilateral primary spontaneous pneumothorax

Objective： To review our experience of the treatment of bilateral primary spontaneous pneumothorax （PSP） by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery （VATS）. Materials and methods： Retrospective chart review was followed by an on-clinic or telephone interview. Patients were cared for by one thoracic surgeon in four medical centers or community hospitals in Northern and Central Taiwan. Thirteen patients with bilateral PSP underwent bilateral VATS simultaneously or sequentially from July 1994 to December 2005. Results： Twelve males and one female, with age ranging from 15 to 36 years （mean 23.1 years）, were treated with VATS for bilateral PSP, under the indications of bilateral pneumothoracis simultaneously （n=4） or sequentially （n=9）. The interval between the first and second contra-lateral VATS procedure for non-simultaneous PSP patients ranged from 7 d to 6 years. Eleven of 13 patients （84.6%） had prominent pulmonary bullae/blebs, and underwent bullae resection with mechanical or chemical pleurodesis. The mean operative time was （45.6±18.3） min （range 25-96 min） and （120.6±28.7） min （range 84-166 min） respectively for the non-simultaneous （second VATS for the recurrence of contralateral side after first VATS） and simultaneous （bilateral VATS in one operation） procedures. There was no postoperative mortality. However, prolonged air leakage （〉7 d） occurred in one patient （7.7%） who recovered after conservative treatment. The mean duration of chest tube drainage was 3.1 d and the median follow up period was 3.4 years. Conclusions： VATS is a safe and effective procedure in the treatment of bilateral PSP. Bilateral VATS is only recommended for patients with simultaneously bilateral PSP, because the incidence of recurrence, even with visible bullae, was not so high in my group and in some previous literature. Bilateral VATS in a supine position should only be used in selective cases, because of possible pleural adhesion or hidden bullae on the posterior side.

Evolving thoracic surgery: from open surgery to single port thoracoscopic surgery and future robotic

Thoracic Surgery is a continuous evolving specialty. In the past, thoracic surgeons had to make large incisions in order to operate any pathology inside the chest. This often meant big, painful and ugly scars and long recovery times after surgery. But he history of thoracic surgery changed since the begining of video-assisted thoracoscoDic surgery （VATg3

A single institution experience using the LigaSure vessel sealing system in video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for primary spontaneous pneumothorax

This study sought to report our 6-year experience with the LigaSure vessel sealing system（LVSS） in videoassisted thoracoscopic surgery（VATS） for primary spontaneous pneumothorax.A series of 180 consecutive patients with primary spontaneous pneumothorax were operated on in our institution from May 2005 to December 2010.Intraoperatively,large lesions（bullae or blebs） with a diameter more than 2 cm were resected by staplers,and the residual lesions were treated by LVSS.LVSS was also used to ablate the apical area when no lesions were found.Conventional apical pleural abrasion was done in all cases.All patients were successfully treated using VATS with minimal perioperative bleeding.The mean operating time was 76 minutes（range,43-160 minutes） for single-side procedures and 169 minutes（range,135-195 minutes） for bilateral procedures,the mean number of applied staples was 1.93 per patient（range,0-8 days）,the duration of drainage was 3.8 days（range,2-15 days）,and the duration of hospital stay was 5.8 days（range,3-16 days）.Postoperative complications included persistent air leak（〉 5 days） in 11 cases（6.1%） and residual pneumothorax in 6（3.3%）.None required reoperation.The mean duration of follow-up was 57 months（range,24-105 months）.Recurrence was seen in three cases（1.7%）,and all underwent another operation thereafter.None of the lesions in the relapse cases received ablation with LVSS in the first operation.LVSS can optimize VATS for primary spontaneous pneumothorax and reduces the use of single-use staples.The method is safe,easy to use,and cost-effective and produces satisfactory results.

Experiences and benefits of positron emitted tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) combined with video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) in the diagnosis of Stage 1 sarcoidosis

Background： The purpose of this study was to describe our experiences and analyze the benefits of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery （VATS） combined with positron emitted tomography （PET）-computed tomography （CT） in the diagnosis of patients with early （Stage 1） sarcoidosis. Methods： From 1995 to 2006, seven patients （two males, five females）, with ages ranging from 26 to 58 years, were impressed with Stage 1 sarcoidosis （mediastinal or hilar lymph nodes involvements without lung involvement） by histological examination of intrathoracic lymph nodes （LNs） and/or lung parenchyma taken＇from VATS biopsy. Three of them received PET or PET-CT evaluation. VATS was approached from the right and left side in one and six patients, respectively, according to the locations of their lesions. Results： All the VATS biopsied LNs or lung specimens were adequate for establishing diagnosis. Mediastinal LNs were taken from Groups 3, 4 in four, Group 7 in two, and Groups 5, 6 in one of them. Hilar LNs biopsies were performed in four cases. Lung biopsy was performed in all but two cases. All of them were expressed pathologically or radiologically as Stage 1 sarcoidosis. PET-CT revealed high emission signals over these affected LNs. These patients received oral steroid treatment or follow up only. All of them were followed up from 5 months to 11 years with satisfactory results. Conclusion： VATS biopsy is a minimally invasive, safe and effective procedure. It can be used as a diagnostic altermative of transbronchial lung biopsy （TBLB）, and can harvest larger and more areas of specimens than mediastinoscopy for staging patients with sarcoidosis. PET-CT can provide us more accurate information about the characteristics and localization of these lesions before biopsy. VATS combined with PET-CT can provide more accurate and earlier diagnosis of patients with unknown intrathoracic lesions, including the sarcoidosis.

Awake thoracoscopic surgery under epidural anesthesia: is it really safe?

Thoracoscopic surgeries usually require single-lung ventilation under general anesthesia because of the need to obtain a sufficient working space.In patients with impaired pulmonary function,if the patient can undergo general anesthesia,a more selected collapse of the lung is considered to be beneficial for intraoperative oxygenation.The selective bronchial blockade of the lobe to be resected has been reported by several investigators （1-3）.Mukaida and coworkers first reported thoracoscopic surgery for pnenmothorax under local and epidural anesthesia in 1998 in high-risk patients contraindicated for general anesthesia （4）.

Middle lobe torsion after right upper and lower lobectomy:repositioning of lobar torsion using a3-cm uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery

We aimed to describe a method for repositioning of right middle lobar torsion by using a 3-cm uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery(VATS) approach. Middle lobe torsion occurred after right upper and lower lobectomy in a 74-year-old man. Immediate re-exploratory thoracotomy using the 3-cm uniportal VATS approach was performed. The torsion was corrected, and the lobe was anchored to the anterior chest wall with Prolene stitches. The patient recovered well postoperatively with daily improvements in chest radiographic findings. Follow-up examination was performed using fiberbronchoscopy, which revealed an unobstructed right middle lobe bronchus and sticky yellow sputum. Follow-up chest computed tomography was performed 3 months after the primary surgery and revealed increased expansion of the right middle lobe. We repositioned the right middle lobe successfully by using the 3-cm uniportal VATS approach, but more cases are needed to confirm the feasibility of the approach. Lobectomy remains the primary treatment option for such cases.

Uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for complex mediastinal mature teratoma:A case report

BACKGROUND Mediastinal mature teratoma is the most common histological type of primary extragonadal germ cell tumor.In this report,we describe a rare case of giant mature teratoma located primarily in the anterior mediastinum and causing partial atelectasis of the upper and middle lobes of the right lung,as well as extrinsic compression of the right atrium.CASE SUMMARY A 31-year-old male with a giant mediastinal mature teratoma presented with progressive exertional dyspnea and chest pain for 1 mo.Computed tomography of the chest indicated the diagnosis of anterior mediastinal teratoma.The patient underwent right uniportal anterior approach video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery(VATS).En bloc resection of the giant teratoma,wedge resection of the upper and middle lobes of the right lung,resection of the thymus and partial excision of the pericardium were successfully performed.The pathological diagnosis revealed a mature cystic teratoma with foreign-body reaction that was closely related to the right lung,atrium dextrum,superior vena cava and ascending aorta.An atrophic thymic tissue was also discovered at the external teratoma surface.The patient was discharged on postoperative day 7.CONCLUSION This is the first report of the use of uniportal VATS for complete resection of a teratoma in combination with wedge resection of the right upper and middle lung lobes and partial resection of the pericardium.

Robot-assisted lobectomy in a patient with poor lung function:Another advantage of robot-assisted thoracoscopic surgery

Patients with poor lung function have a high-risk for pulmonary complications following lobectomy.The development of minimally invasive thoracic surgical techniques allows sicker patients to safely undergo lung resection.Robotic lobectomy could benefit these higher risk patients.Here we present a case of a 58-year-old female patient with poor lung function presented with a 3-cm mass in her lower left pulmonary lobe,who successfully underwent lobectomy via robot-assisted thoracoscopic surgery.Her forced expiratory volume in one second was slightly improved compared to the preoperative value.Her forced vital capacity continued to improve in the follow-up period.There was no recorded recurrence during the three years follow-up period.

Comparison of the body pain and trauma degree between uni-portal and three-portal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for the treatment of lung cancer

Objective:To study the differences in the body pain and trauma degree between uniportal and three-portal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for the treatment of lung cancer.Methods:A total of 108 patients with non-small cell lung cancer who received radical operation in our hospital between February 2013 and February 2016 were selected and divided into the uniportal group (n=52) who received uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery and the three-portal group (n=56) who received three-portal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery after the operation methods and related laboratory results were reviewed. Before operation and 24 h after operation, the differences in serum levels of pain mediators, oxidative stress indexes and inflammation indexes were compared between the two groups of patients.Results: Before operation, the differences in serum levels of pain mediators, oxidative stress indexes and inflammation indexes were not statistically significant between the two groups of patients. 24 h after operation, serum pain mediators NE, DA and 5-HT levels of observation group were lower than those of control group;oxidative stress indexes MDA and O2- levels were lower than those of control group while SOD and GSH-Px levels were higher than those of control group;inflammation indexes IL-6, IL-8, CRP and TNF-α levels were lower than those of control group.Conclusion: Uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for the treatment of lung cancer causes less surgery trauma, and patients' postoperative pain and systemic inflammatory stress response are lighter.

Modified technical protocol for single-port laparoscopic appendectomy using needle-type grasping forceps for acute simple appendicitis:A case report

BACKGROUND Because of the mild inflammatory status in acute uncomplicated appendicitis,our team developed a novel technical protocol for single-port laparoscopic appendec-tomy using needle-type grasping forceps(SLAN)and achieved positive clinical outcomes.However,the intraoperative procedure lacked stability and fluency due to a series of problems highlighted by the small incision design of the proto-col(only 1 cm long).Therefore,there is a growing clinical demand to further opti-mize the SLAN protocol.CASE SUMMARY An adult male patient was admitted for persistent right lower abdominal pain with preoperative computed tomography findings suggestive of appendicitis accompanied by localized peritonitis.A modified technical protocol for SLAN based on minimally invasive surgical principles was used,and the patient was confirmed to have acute simple appendicitis by postoperative pathological ana-lysis.Postoperative recovery was uneventful,and no postoperative complications,such as incision infection or severe incision pain,were observed.The patient was discharged successfully on postoperative day 2.CONCLUSION The modified technical protocol of SLAN may be a new minimally invasive surgical alternative for patients with acute simple appendicitis.

Early Application Study of Intravenous Pain Pump Combined with Parecoxib Injection in Relieving Pain in Patients after Thoracoscopy

Objective: To explore the clinical effectiveness of combined use of intravenous pain pump with Parecoxib injection in alleviating pain in patients during the early postoperative period after thoracoscopic surgery. Methods: Eighty patients who underwent thoracoscopic surgery in a tertiary hospital were selected as the study subjects and randomly divided into two groups, with 40 patients in each group. The control group received routine postoperative treatment with intravenous pain pump, while the experimental group received Parecoxib in addition to the standard postoperative pain pump treatment. Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pain scores were used to evaluate postoperative pain relief in both groups, along with adverse reactions, postoperative complications, and patient satisfaction with pain relief. Results: Patients who received Parecoxib injection in addition to the routine use of intravenous pain pump had VAS pain scores lower than 3 points at 6 h, 12 h, 24 h, and 36 h postoperatively compared to those in the control group. The incidence of postoperative lung collapse, pleural effusion, and pulmonary infections was also significantly lower in the experimental group. The differences between the two groups were statistically significant (P Conclusion: Early combined use of Parecoxib injection in the early postoperative period after thoracoscopic surgery has shown good clinical efficacy. It can reduce the level of pain in patients, promote effective coughing and expectoration, facilitate early mobilization of patients, improve patient compliance, reduce complications, shorten hospital stay, and expedite patient recovery. Therefore, it is worth promoting the widespread clinical application of Parecoxib injection in this setting.

Risk factors for conversion to thoracotomy from video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery of lung cancer

Objectives:Intraoperative conversion to thoracotomy from video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery(VATS)is associated with increased adverse events,which is a major concern.We aim to explore the related risk factors in lung cancer patients.Methods:In our study,the data from 1305 patients who underwent VATS between June 2017 and May 2020 were retrospectively collected,among which 67 patients underwent unexpected conversion to thoracotomy.All patients were divided into Non-conversion Group or Conversion Group according to whether they required a conversion to thoracotomy and the risk factors were explored by univariate and multivariate analyses.Results:The most common cause of conversion was fibrocalcified lymph nodes,found in 33 patients(49.3%).Multivariable logistic regression analysis demonstrates that the independent risk factors for the conversion were age≥65 y(OR=2.696,95%CI:1.487e4.887,p=0.001),tumor size>3 cm(OR=4.527,95%CI:2.490e8.233,p<0.001),and tumor location in the left upper lung(OR=3.809,95%CI:1.737 e5.492,p<0.001).Conclusions:Advanced age,bigger tumor size and tumor at the left upper lobe could lead to conversion.In the early VATS learning cases,surgeons should try to choose patients with lower risk of conversion to thoracotomy.