VATS major pulmonary resection revisited--controversies, techniques, and results

The application of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) in major pulmonary resections has remained infrequent, despite earlier demonstration of its technical feasibility. The early postoperative benefits of this approach to patients are now well documented. The intermediate to long-term clinical results of VATS major resections for primary cancer are now available and appear extremely encouraging. There are few, detailed descriptions of this technique in the literature. This article reviews the current status of VATS major resection with emphasis on its controversies, techniques, and results.