Results
Twenty-seven patients with a mean (±SD) gestational age of 25.8 (±2.0)
weeks and a mean birth weight of 1027 (±423) g were operated using left
anterior mini-thoracotomy technique. The lowest body weight was 480 g.
Complications such as bleeding, abnormal healing of incision or
pneumothorax were not seen. There were 8 mortalities after the operation
(29,6 %). There was no internal thoracic artery injury or no need for
conversion to thoracotomy or sternotomy. there were 6 (22%) deaths in
the postoperative first 30 days and 4 (14,8%) deaths between the
postoperative first month and first year. The cause of the deaths were
sepsis, NEC, hydrops fetalis, hepatoblastoma and intracranial bleeding.
Left diaphragmatic elevation developed in 1 patient, and plication was
performed. There was no statistically significant difference in the
rates of morbidity, and complication between the groups.