ASO Author Reflections: Is the VATS Technique Superior to Thoracotomy Techniques in Terms of Respiratory Muscle Function and Functional Exercise Capacity?

Excerpt

The most common surgery for non-small cell lung cancer is lobectomy, which can be performed through either thoracotomy or video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS). The research examining changes in respiratory muscle function and exercise capacity after lobectomy performed with conventional thoracotomy (CT), muscle-sparing thoracotomy (MST), or VATS is insufficient. Lobectomy has negative effects on respiratory muscle function and exercise capacity, but the effects of surgical techniques on these parameters are not clear.^1‐4 Nomori et al.² found no difference in exercise capacity or respiratory muscle strength between limited thoracotomy and VATS procedures for patients with lung cancer who undergo lobectomy. In another study, the CT group observed a greater decrease in respiratory muscle strength than the MST group after pulmonary resection.³ Bernard⁴ found that VATS results in better recovery of respiratory muscle function after lung biopsy than CT. The precise effects and origins of surgery-induced effects on respiratory muscle strength remain unclear. However, no study has examined the effects of all three surgical approaches to lobectomy on the respiratory muscle function and exercise capacity of patients with lung cancer. …