From full thoracotomy to uniportal video-assisted thoracic surgery: lessons learned

J Vis Surg. 2017 Mar 30:3:36. doi: 10.21037/jovs.2017.01.14. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

Over the last two decades, conventional video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) has established itself as the preferred approach for almost all thoracic surgical procedures. The procedure provides a safe and easy approach with undisputed patient benefit at a cost acceptable to the healthcare system all over the world, in large hospitals as well as underprivileged rural areas. VATS has effectively addressed the patients' right to less scarring, trauma (both of access and intrathoracic manipulation), medication, pain, hospitalization, and early return home and work. These improvements have been further stressed by the introduction of uniportal VATS (uniVATS). Single port surgery is a very exciting new modality in the field of minimal access surgery which aims at further reducing scars of standard vats and towards an hypothetical prospective of scarless surgery.

Keywords: Uniportal video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS); minimally invasive pulmonary resection; single-incision thoracoscopic surgery.

Publication types

  • Review