Lung biopsy in children

Operative thoracoscopy is not a new technique in pediatric patients. However, the indications to this approach are not well defined because of the little experience in the technical aspects and of the risks of seeding in case of oncologic procedures. We present a prospective, nonrandomized study, comparing two groups of pediatric patients who had been operated on using the thoracoscopic approach. In the first group, 7 children were included for a diagnostic minimal lung resection; in the second, 5 were resected for lung tumors. The results indicate that the minimally invasive technique is the gold standard in all nononcologic procedures. The reduction of manipulation and of postoperative pain is effective in decreasing the oxygen desaturation. In oncologic patients a thoracotomy (VATS) should be considered to reduce operative time and the risk of tumor seeding.