Sara Waguaf, Souheil Boubia, Saad Zbiri, Nidaa Touil, Abdellah Fatene, Mohamed Ridai
Background: The aim of this study is to evaluate the costs and the outcomes comparing lung lobectomy by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) versus thoracotomy for operable non-small cell lung cancer.
Methods: A retrospective review of a prospectively maintained patient’s database who had lobectomy for lung cancer at a single institution between 2016 and 2019 was performed. Direct hospital cost, operative time, complications rates and length of stay were collected and compared between two approaches.
Results: Ninety six patients underwent lobectomy for lung cancer. Sixty nine (72%) of them by VATS and 27 (28%) by thoracotomy. In the VATS lobectomy, mean surgery duration, mean chest tube removal and length of hospital stay were significantly shorter than the thoracotomy group. The complication rate and mortality were not significantly different between two groups. The costs were lower but not significantly different for VATS versus thoracotomy.
Conclusion: The costs of VATS were not significantly lower compared with thoracotomy because the length of hospital stay was shorter and the costs of hospitalization were lower in our country compared with developed countries.