Posterolateral thoracotomy without muscle division: A new approach to complex procedures

Abstract

Today, there is a strong increase in video-assisted thoracic surgery; however, there are still some diseases and interventions that need a wide pleural cavity exposure (i.e. sulcus tumours and extended resections). These complex procedures are usually performed via a standard posterolateral thoracotomy, which is a good approach but has significant disadvantage due to pain and difficulty coughing. We propose a new thoracotomy that avoids a dorsal muscle division but has the same intrathoracic exposure as a posterolateral thoracotomy. © 2011 The Author 2011. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.