Resection of the sidewall of superior vena cava using video-assisted thoracic surgery mechanical suture technique.

Lung cancer invading the superior vena cava (SVC) is a locally advanced condition, for which poor prognosis is expected with conservative treatment alone. Surgical resection of the lesion can rapidly relieve the symptoms and significantly improve survival for some patients. Replacement, repair and partial resection of SVC via thoracotomy were generally accepted and used in the past. As the rapid development of minimally invasive techniques and devices, partial resection and repair of SVC are feasible via video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS). However, few studies have reported the VATS surgical techniques. In this study, we reported the crucial techniques of partial resection of SVC via VATS.