Table 3. Comparisions of outcomes between VATS thymectomy and transsternal thymectomy in short term (n=82).
| Variables | VATS (n=38) | Sternotomy (n=44) | P# |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gender (female) | 19 (50.00%) | 20 (45.45%) | 0.681 |
| Age [years] | 50.05 [25-72] | 47.02 [15-64] | 0.149 |
| BMI* [range] | 24.97 [18-34] | 25.66 [18-34] | 0.393 |
| Myasthenia gravis [%] | 5 (13.16) | 10 (22.73) | 0.264 |
| Tumor size (cm) | 5.4 (2.5-13.0) | 6.5 (2.5-13.0) | 0.013 |
| Muller-Hermelink classification (%) | 0.267 | ||
| A | 2 (5.26) | 0 (0) | |
| B1 | 7 (18.42) | 9 (20.83) | |
| B2 | 11 (28.95) | 11 (25.00) | |
| B3 | 2 (5.26) | 8 (20.83) | |
| AB | 16 (42.11) | 16 (33.33) | |
| Massaoka staging (%) | 0.948 | ||
| I | 17 (44.74) | 20 (45.45) | |
| II | 21 (55.26) | 24 (54.55) | |
| Postoperative hospital LOS* [days] | 5.26 [2-13] | 9.16 [5-25] | <0.001 |
| ICU* LOS [hours] | 4.26 [0-90] | 9.27 [0-168] | 0.343 |
| Operation time [minutes] | 127.63 [30-300] | 155.46 [70-270] | 0.024 |
| Blood loss [mL] | 114.74 [20-600] | 214.77 [100-600] | <0.001 |
| Completeness of covering membrane (%) | 36 (94.74) | 37 (84.09) | 0.117 |
| Number of chest tubes | 1.11 [1-2] | 1.41 [1-2] | 0.001 |
| Quantity of chest tube output [mL] | 617.68 [100-1,580] | 806.48 [290-1,950] | 0.026 |
| Duration of drainage [days] | 3.87 [2-10] | 5.68 [3-10] | <0.001 |
*, LOS, length of stay; ICU, intensive care unit; BMI, body mass index; #, gender, symptoms, myasthenia gravis, hypertension and Massaoka staging were analyzed by Pearson chi-square test. Diabetes mellitus, coronary heart disease and Muller-Hermelink classification were analyzed by Fisher’s exact test. The rest of variables of patients characteristics were analyzed by t-test. All perioperative variables were analyzed by t-test except the completeness of covering membrane that was done by Fisher’s exact test. P≤0.05 was regarded as statistic significance.