Completely thoracoscopic surgical stabilization of rib fractures: balancing minimally invasive benefits against technique-specific complications: a single-center retrospective study

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the surgical outcomes and complications of completely thoracoscopic surgical stabilization of rib fractures (cTSSRF) in patients with rib fractures in the posterior chest wall area. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 30 patients who underwent completely thoracoscopic surgical stabilization of rib fractures (cTSSRF) between September 2019 and October 2023. Clinical data were gathered to compare and analyze the clinical outcomes of complications of cTSSRF and open surgical stabilization of rib fractures (oSSRF). A total of 201 rib fractures were repaired in 30 patients, including 79 rib fractures in the posterior chest wall (an average of 2.63 rib fractures/person) that were fixed by cTSSRF, and 122 rib fractures (an average of 4.06 rib fractures/person) fixed by oSSRF. No obvious thoracic collapse deformity was observed postoperatively in any patient. The median duration of chest tube removal after surgery was 3 (3–4) days, and the chest drainage volume was 586.33 ± 232.4 ml. The numeric rating scale score (NRS) was 3 (2–3.25), which was significantly lower than the preoperative score of 7 (6–8), z = -4.826, P < 0.001). The rate of implant displacement of the cTSSRF was 6.33% (5/79), which was significantly higher than that in the oSSRF of 0(0/122), χ2 = 5.53, P = 0.019. The rates of fracture malalignment were high in the cTSSRF (21.52% [20/79] vs2.46% [3/122], P < 0.001). The incidence of postoperative encapsulated pleural effusion—defined as a maximum anteroposterior fluid thickness > 20 mm surrounding the internal fixation device on axial CT scans—was 46.7% (14/30 cases) during the 7–14 day postoperative period. All patients were followed-up in outpatient clinics or by telephone for 6–24 months, and all resumed their work capacity without obvious symptoms of chest discomfort. The application of cTSSRF is a safe, feasible and minimally invasive surgical option, particularly in cases of rib fractures in the posterior chest wall, which are challenging to address using conventional open surgery. However, the postoperative implant displacement and fracture malalignment rates are higher than those observed in conventional surgery, which still needs to require careful evaluation of the risks and benefits of routinely performing cTSSRF.