[The clinical practice of video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS)].

From November 1992 to March 1994, thirty five patients were performed using VATS in our hospital. The procedures included blebectomy with pleurodesis 14 cases; wedge resection 10 cases; malignant pleural effusion, pleural biopsy and pleurodesis 4 cases; pleural biopsy 3 cases; lung tumor biopsy 2 cases; lung biopsy 2 cases. Converted into thoracotomy 2 cases because of the tumors could not be resected thoracoscopically. No death and severe complication. The procedures were successful for diagnosis and treatment in our series. Compared with standard thoracotomy, the operative trauma, postoperative pain, drainage volume, tube time, postoperative hospitalization were remarkably less in this group (P < 0.05).