Video Assisted Thorascopic Surgery

In Video Assisted Thoracic Surgery (VATS), a surgeon uses small holes in the patients' chest as a point of entry into the thoracic cavity. The surgeon will then pass a small camera (endoscope) through one of the holes and view the internal organs on a monitor in the operating room. The other holes can be used to pass instruments into the thoracic cavity to perform a specific procedure.

There are many procedures that can be performed using VATS, including lung cancer biopsy for diagnosis of lung cancer, treatment of tumors under certain conditions, removal of fluid from around the heart or lungs, and other procedures.

The main advantage of VATS is that it is less invasive than traditional surgery, where the chest has to be opened through a long incision in order to gain access to a diseased part of the lung. In VATS there are usually 3 to 4 small incisions made, typically around 1 inch long. VATS generally has a decreased duration of hospital stay and decreased level of pain when compared to traditional surgical techniques. Patients typically stay in the hospital for 1 to 3 days instead of 5 to 7 days associated with traditional surgery.

Although there may be a shorter recovery time for the patient, many cases are not suitable for VATS. For example, there may not be adeqate exposure of the internal organs with this technique. The decision to perform VATS is complicated and should be made by a physician with extensive experience in thorascopic surgery.