Analysis of bronchiectasis patients who underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery in a tertiary thoracic surgery center: Ten years of experience

Background: This study aimed to analyze our video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) experience in the surgical treatment of bronchiectasis and the reasons limiting VATS application. Methods: Two hundred one patients (106 males, 95 females; mean age: 39.7±14.1 years; range, 12 to 68 years) who underwent surgical treatment for bronchiectasis between January 2012 and October 2021 were included in the retrospective study. Three groups were created based on the surgical technique used: VATS, thoracotomy, and patients who were converted from VATS to thoracotomy. Results: The most significant presenting symptoms were cough (43%) and excessive sputum expectoration (40%). Surgical intervention was applied to the left side of 60% of the patients, and the most common resection performed in all three groups was left lower lobectomy. The rate of conversion from VATS to thoracotomy was 28.8%, and it was found that dense pleural adhesions were the most common reason. Revision surgery was performed on a total of 11 (5.47%) patients. The frequency of revision surgery did not differ significantly among the three groups (p=0.943). The most common postoperative complication was prolonged air leakage. There was no statistically significant difference in postoperative complication rates among the groups (p=0.417). The rate of surgical treatment of bronchiectasis with VATS was observed to have increased from 11.1% to 77.7% in our clinic. Conclusion: In experienced hands, VATS can be safely applied in the surgical treatment of bronchiectasis.