Video-Assisted Thoracoscopy
Mayank Mehrotra, Jason D’Cruz, Mary E. Arthur
Abstract
Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) has revolutionized the approach and management of many pulmonary and cardiac diseases over the past 2 decades. Thoracoscopic inspection of the pleura, while the patient was under local anesthesia, was first performed by Swedish physician Jacobeaus. This procedure was usually performed to evaluate and treat pleural effusions in patients suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis. Before this technique, the standard approach to a thoracic pathology was a thoracotomy. A breakthrough in technology, which ultimately resulted in the advancement of all forms of minimal access surgery, was the development of fiber-optic light. The number of VATS applications have grown over the decades as technological advancements made such procedures safer for the elderly and frail patients. VATS has multiple advantages over traditional thoracotomy including less postoperative pain, shorter hospital lengths of stay, earlier recovery of respiratory function especially in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and the elderly and overall reduced cost.