Efficacy of uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for initial treatment of early pleural empyema .

Background: Pleural empyema is a serious disease. For the majority of patients with advanced empyema, surgery is the standard treatment. Video assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is a minimally invasive surgical procedure that allows visualization of the pleural cavity through small incisions. Uni-portal VATS (U-VATS) offers many advantages over traditional open thoracotomy and multi-portal VATS. Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of U-VATS for the initial treatment of early pleural empyema. Patients & Methods: This prospective study included adult patients with early stage empyema (stages I and II) who underwent initial drainage and debridement with U-VATS procedure at our institutions. Results: The average age of the 30 patients was 37.73±15.23 years, and there were 1.5 times as many males as females. All of them received U-VATS for stage I and II empyema. Diabetes mellitus and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were the most prevalent co-morbidities. Eighty percent of patients had a sickness duration of two weeks or less. No one died, and no thoracotomy was necessary. Ten percent of patients needed further procedures (debris removal or drainage) following U-VATS. No problems arose after surgery for the vast majority of individuals (83.3%). On average, patients spent 6.23±2.2 days in the hospital. Conclusion: The first U-VATS is a risk-free and successful treatment for individuals with mild to moderate empyema. Additional comparative research involving multiple centers are advised.