Efficacy and safety of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery and thoracotomy in the treatment of pulmonary hydatid disease in the Tibetan Plateau: a retrospective study.

Background: Although video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) plays an increasingly significant part in treating thoracic disease, the role of thoracotomy is not replaced in cystic echinococcosis. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the application of VATS and traditional thoracotomy in the treatment of pulmonary hydatid disease in Shigatse of the Tibet Plateau and to compare the clinical safety and efficacy of these two surgical approaches.

Methods: A total of 53 patients with pulmonary hydatid who received thoracoscopic cystectomy with needle aspiration from January 2015 to December 2020 were enrolled in the study, and 126 patients who received thoracotomy during the same period were matched as the control group.