The surgical team of pediatric surgeons at the University Clinical Center Tuzla performed endoscopic lung surgery, using the minimally invasive uniportal VATS technique, on a 12-year-old girl. The surgery was performed with the assistance of doctors from the Clinic for Thoracic Surgery at the University Clinical Center Tuzla. The VATS method of Uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery has been performed at the University Clinical Center Tuzla since 2016, and since 2019, Tuzla surgeons have been performing this procedure independently.
The Uniportal VATS technique was performed on a child for the first time in Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to Dr. Emir Rahmanović, a pediatric surgery specialist, the procedure was carried out on a 12-year-old girl diagnosed with radiologically confirmed recurrent primary pneumothorax. The condition was caused by the spontaneous rupture of a bulla, or bubble, at the apex of the lung.
“This is an extremely rare condition in children,” said Dr. Rahmanović. “The procedure involved removing the affected part of the lung through a single incision just a few centimeters in size, using optical and endoscopic instruments. The postoperative recovery was smooth, and the patient was discharged home on the sixth day without any complications.”
The Uniportal VATS method has numerous advantages for the patient’s recovery compared to classical approaches, especially in children, because lung resections are performed through a single minimal skin incision of several centimeters in length, unlike classical approaches using open techniques and conventional VATS where surgical incisions were over 10 cm, and three or more incisions were used. The benefit for the patient is also reflected in a shorter hospital stay and a faster return to normal activities.