Thoracoscopy is the visual examination of the chest cavity, pleura, pericardium, lymph nodes and thymus through a telescope (a thoracoscope). Thoracoscopy can also be used for certain surgical procedures. When it is used for surgery, the procedure is often referred to as video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS).
Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is a surgical procedure used in the chest and lungs. It is a type of 'keyhole' surgery where only very small incisions are made to the body. VATS uses a special instrument called a thoracoscope. This is a thin, tube-like instrument which has a camera built into the end. The camera feeds pictures from the chest on to a screen. This allows your surgeon to look inside the chest and lungs.
VATS is used in both diagnostic and therapeutic pleural, lung, and mediastinal surgery. Specific indications include the following:
Thoracoscopy is a medical procedure involving internal examination, biopsy, and/or resection of disease or masses within the pleural cavity and thoracic cavity.
Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is a minimally invasive surgical technique used to diagnose and treat problems in your chest.
Surgeons use the video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery technique to perform a variety of operations, such as:
In most patients, a VATS lung resection will have minimal impact on their respiratory breathing.
Yes, but it’s intentional. We stop pumping air into the lung to allow the lung to be in a resting state during a VATS procedure in order to provide complete visualization of the intrathoracic cavity, and ensure success. Once the procedure is complete, the air is allowed re-enter the lung, allowing it to naturally re-expand. Upon completion of surgery, a chest tube is inserted to facilitate a return to the natural state.
There are no side effects of the surgery.
Generally, you can be discharged on the next day of the surgery.
In general, plan to take about one week off from work.
Mostly the procedure is covered under most medical insurance plans. Please confirm in your policy documents.