What are potential complications of VATS lobectomy?
The potential complications of VATS lobectomy are basically the same as those of conventional open lobectomy. Air leak (leakage of air from the lung that was operated on) is the most common complication. This leakage usually stops on its own within the first three to four days after surgery. As seen with other video camera approaches to surgery, conversion (going from VATS to open surgery) during a VATS operation is always possible. The most frequent reasons for converting to conventional open surgery include the presence of scar tissue in the chest, which makes VATS dissection difficult and potentially dangerous, and the occurrence of bleeding from one of the major blood vessels.
