Abstract
We reported two cases of bilateral bullous emphysema with giant bullae successfully treated with video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) simultaneously for bilateral lungs. In case 1, a 53-year-old man complained of dyspnea on effort. In case 2, a 47-year-old man consulted our hospital with a chief complaint of right chest pain and dyspnea, and chest X-ray films at that time showed a right spontaneous pneumothorax. Chest CT of both patients revealed bilateral bullous emphysema with giant bullae, and thus we performed VATS in both patients simultaneously for bilateral lungs. Both patients recovered well, and there was no air leakage. In case 1, the bilateral chest drain tubes were removed on postoperative day (POD) 2, and the patient was discharged on POD 24. In case 2, the bilateral chest drain tubes were removed on POD 3, and the patient was discharged on POD 9.
Recently, developments and improvements in thoracoscopic surgical instruments and adjunctive materials have extended the operative indications for VATS. Use of VATS techniques for bilateral bullous emphysema make these cases possible to operate simultaneously for both sides and is minimally invasive to patients thereby reducing the length of their hospitalization.
