Mohajerzadeh, Leily;Lotfollahzadeh, Saran;Vosoughi, Armin;Harirforoosh, Iman;Parsay, Sina;Amirifar, Hesam;Farahbakhsh, Nazanin;Atqiaee, Khashayar
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Background: To compare the outcomes of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) in comparison to open thoracic surgery in pediatric patients suffering from empyema. Methods: A prospective study was carried out in 80 patients referred to the Department of Pediatric Surgery between 2015 and 2018. The patients were randomly divided into thoracotomy and VATS groups (groups I and II, respectively). Forty patients were in the thoracotomy group (16 males [40%], 24 females [60%]; average age, $5.77{\pm}4.08years$) and 40 patients were in the VATS group (18 males [45%], 22 females [55%]; average age, $6.27{\pm}3.67years$). There were no significant differences in age (p=0.61) or sex (p=0.26). Routine preliminary workups for all patients were ordered, and the patients were followed up for 90 days at regular intervals. Results: The average length of hospital stay ($16.28{\pm}7.83days$ vs. $15.83{\pm}9.44days$, p=0.04) and the duration of treatment needed for pain relief (10 days vs. 5 days, p=0.004) were longer in the thoracotomy group than in the VATS group. Thoracotomy patients had surgical wound infections in 27.3% of cases, whereas no cases of infection were reported in the VATS group (p=0.04). Conclusion: Our results indicate that VATS was not only less invasive than thoracotomy, but also showed promising results, such as an earlier discharge from the hospital and fewer postoperative complications.