Thanks to video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) surgery for lung cancer, you can deal Joye Neudecker a new hand to play. Joye Neudecker feels lucky her doctor found her lung cancer. When she switched primary care doctors, the new doctor ordered a routine chest x-ray. The x-ray showed that Neudecker, who was in otherwise good health and had no symptoms, had a small, early stage carcinoma in the lower lobe of her right lung.
Neudecker, 83, had always played sports, exercised and been an avid bridge player, but she was a lifelong smoker.
"I smoked my last cigarette after my doctor called to tell me about my x-ray," she said.
Her doctor referred Neudecker to Washington University thoracic surgeon Bryan Meyers, MD, at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Neudecker had first learned of the national reputation of the thoracic surgery program at Barnes-Jewish when her daughter had a thoracic procedure about a year earlier. That reputation and the knowledgeable, caring manner of Dr. Meyers and the entire thoracic surgery staff put Neudecker at ease.
The Washington University thoracic surgery department at Barnes-Jewish Hospital is known world-wide as a leader in lung transplant, lung volume reduction surgery, lung cancer surgery and other thoracic procedures. The department was the first in the St. Louis area to perform minimally invasive VATS.
Because of Neudecker''s age, her otherwise good health and the size of the tumor, Dr. Meyers decided she was a good candidate for a video-assisted lobectomy. In traditional lobectomies, incisions can be six to 10 inches long, and surgeons sometimes need to saw through the sternum and spread the ribs.
For Neudecker''s VATS lobectomy, Dr. Meyers made small one- to two-inch incisions in Neudecker''s right flank and used state-of-the art equipment to carefully remove the portion of her lung that contained the tumor.
The video equipment provided optimal light and magnification to allow the delicate surgery to be completed through the tiny incisions without removing or breaking ribs or cutting any muscles. In addition, nearby lymph nodes are removed to ensure that the cancer has not spread to the rest of the lung.
Other than some pain at the surgery site, Neudecker said she has "done beautifully," since the operation.
"I feel really fortunate that Dr. Meyers performed the surgery," Neudecker said.
Almost a year later, she''s back to her normal activities, doing housework and going to the grocery store. She especially looks forward to playing bridge whenever she can.
"I feel very lucky," she said.