Minimally invasive surgery for pulmonary and esophageal tumors.

The development of endoscopic video capabilities has opened a new era in thoracic operations. This paper discusses video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) as part of the armamentarium of the thoracic surgeon. VATS is the procedure of choice for a solitary pulmonary nodule. It is also a useful staging procedure in selected patients with pulmonary and esophageal tumors. The role of VATS in the definitive resection of certain lung cancers is discussed and there is a call for randomized controlled studies to determine if there is an advantage for the utilization of VATS. The use of VATS for resection of esophageal tumors is discussed. It is currently under development and investigation.