Thoracoscopy

Abstract

Thoracoscopy is a technique that has been in use since the early 1900s but has undergone an exponential increase in popularity and growth over the past two decades. Until the late 1980s, most thoracoscopies were purely diagnostic. It wasn’t until the early 1990s, with the dramatic revolution in technology associated with laparoscopic surgery in adults, that more advanced diagnostic and therapeutic procedures have been performed in children. The development of high definition cameras, superior optics, and smaller instrumentation has enabled pediatric surgeons to perform even the most complicated thoracic procedure thoracoscopically. Currently, most of the operations that have been classically performed through a formal thoracotomy can now be performed in a video-assisted fashion using a number of small incisions. The term VATS is often used and stands for video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. This technique provides excellent visualization of the relevant anatomy and pathology, and drastically reduces the pain, recovery, and long-term morbidity associated with the procedures.