Primary experience of subxiphoid thoracoscopic approach for minimally invasive thymectomy assisted by sternum-elevating technique

Objective：To discuss the clinical efficacy of subxiphoid thoracoscopic approaches for minimally invasive thymectomy assisted by sternumelevating technique. Methods：From March 2016 to July 2016, 24 consecutive patients with thymic mass underwent thoracoscopic extended thymectomy via subxiphoid approach. For the later 12 cases (study group), the sternumelevating technique was used additionally. The perioperative outcomes of two groups were compared. Results：The patients in study group had much shorter surgical duration (［80.3±14.9］ min vs［96.2±17.3］ min, P＜0.01) than control group. However, no significant difference was found on the other outcomes between the two groups, including blood loss, conversion to open surgery, morbidities, postoperative hospital stay and patient's pain scores. Conclusions：The subxiphoid thoracoscopic approach for minimally invasive thymectomy assisted by sternal elevating is simple and costeffective, safe and effective. It is a promising approach for clinical expansion.