Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40257519›Full record

ArticleGeneral thoracic and cardiovascular surgery2025

Uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for lung cancer: the current opinions and future perspectives of thoracic surgeons in Japan.

Takuya Watanabe, Takefumi Doi, Hiromitsu Domen, Yoshinori Handa, Hitoshi Igai, Jun Suzuki, Akihiro Taira, Masayuki Tanahashi, Takashi Suda

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Article in General thoracic and cardiovascular surgery, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Observational
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Takuya WatanabeDivision of Thoracic Surgery, Respiratory Disease Center, Seirei Mikatahara General Hospital, 3453, Mikatahara-cho, Chuo-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, 433-8558, Japan. watanabechoke@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6420-1798
Takefumi DoiDivision of Thoracic Surgery, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan.
Hiromitsu DomenDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, NTT Medical Center Sapporo, Sapporo, Japan.
Yoshinori HandaDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Hiroshima Prefectural Hospital, Hiroshima, Japan.
Hitoshi IgaiDepartment of General Thoracic Surgery, Japanese Red Cross Maebashi Hospital, Maebashi, Japan.
Jun SuzukiDepartment of Surgery II, Faculty of Medicine, Yamagata University, Yamagata, Japan.
Akihiro TairaDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Miyazaki Prefectural Miyazaki Hospital, Miyazaki, Japan.
Masayuki TanahashiDivision of Thoracic Surgery, Respiratory Disease Center, Seirei Mikatahara General Hospital, 3453, Mikatahara-cho, Chuo-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, 433-8558, Japan.
Takashi SudaDepartment of Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery, School of Medicine, Fujita Health University Okazaki Medical Center, Okazaki, Japan.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesUniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (U-VATS) is gaining global recognition as a minimally invasive approach. However, its current status and issues in Japan remain unclear. This study aimed to assess U-VATS adoption and barriers among Japanese thoracic surgeons through a nationwide survey.

methodsThe Japanese Uniportal VATS Interest Group conducted an online survey of 3287 thoracic surgeons on the Japan Association for Chest Surgery mail list. Responses were collected from October 25 to November 30, 2024, yielding 851 valid responses (25.9%) from 497 institutions (78.0% of JACS-registered institutions).

resultsThe adoption rate of U-VATS among the institutions was 42.5%. However, the proportions of thoracic surgeons who primarily performed lobectomy, segmentectomy, and wedge resection using U-VATS were 10.3%, 10.2%, and 22.0%, respectively. The main reasons for non-adoption included concerns regarding safety and surgical precision (57.2%), preference for other approaches (50.9%), and lack of instruments (48.8%). Among surgeons with no prior U-VATS experience, 34.1% were willing to adopt it. To facilitate broader adoption, respondents highlighted the need for troubleshooting resources (61.3%), high-precision surgical videos (59.0%), and hands-on training programs (51.5%).

conclusionDespite the relatively high institutional adoption rate, the proportion of thoracic surgeons using U-VATS as the primary approach remained low. Key barriers include concerns about safety and surgical precision, limited educational opportunities, and a lack of scientific evidence on U-VATS in Japan. To promote the wider adoption of U-VATS, it is essential to develop structured educational programs and generate evidence to ensure both safety and surgical precision.

Indexed as

Attitude of Health PersonnelLung NeoplasmsPneumonectomyPractice Patterns, Physicians'SurgeonsThoracic Surgery, Video-AssistedFemaleHealth Care SurveysHumansJapanMaleSurveys and QuestionnairesLung cancerMinimally invasive surgerySurveyUniportalVideo-assisted thoracic surgery

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.