Minimally invasive thoracic surgery.

To reduce the risk, trauma, and expense of intrathoracic surgical treatments, minimally invasive procedures performed with the assistance of fiberoptic video technology have been developed for thoracic and bronchial surgeries. The surgical treatment of nearly every intrathoracic condition can benefit from a video-assisted approach performed through a few small incisions. Video-assisted thoracoscopic and rigid-bronchoscopic surgery have improved the results of thoracic procedures by decreasing postoperative pain and speeding the return to normal activity. From January 1992 to February 2000, 185 patients underwent 189 video-assisted thoracoscopic procedures in Ochsner Foundation Hospital for various conditions with good results; only 18 procedures (9.5%) required conversion to open thoracotomy. Video-assisted rigid bronchoscopic surgery has been helpful in managing tracheobronchial conditions and complications following lung transplantation. Ninety-nine patients with bronchial complications following lung transplantation and 20 patients with tracheobronchial conditions not related to transplantation have undergone therapeutic techniques involving video-assisted rigid bronchoscopy.