Intraoperative Conversion During Video-Assisted Thoracoscopy Does Not Constitute a Treatment Failure [1]
Intraoperative conversion may be necessary during video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for lung cancer. In this study on 610 patients, Fourdrain and colleagues observed that conversion during a VATS procedure was not associated with worse outcomes than undergoing an up-front thoracotomy. The authors conclude that thoracoscopic access should be preferred to thoracotomy, since conversion is not disadvantageous.