[Techniques in thoracoscopic surgery].

The presently known methods of thoracoscopic surgery are a symbiosis of traditional thoracic surgery and of new endoscopic techniques. The traditional methods determine the proceeding on the organ, the innovative ones the measure to reach it. The challenge is to carry out traditional procedures on the lung by means of the new technique without loss of quality. The accomplishments of simple thoracoscopic operations on lung, pleura, and mediastinum are mostly determined. In cases of major thoracic surgical interventions new resection techniques, not yet proven on lung vessels and bronchi are increasingly undertaken. This means an innovation in two respects and is therefore difficult to evaluate. In our clinic thoracoscopic surgical techniques are orientated towards preserving the established methods on the organ via new accesses with recently developed endoscopic instruments. After having treated over 400 patients, we are now able to show that the presented thoracoscopic methods offer an advanced and safe way towards modern thoracic surgery. However, it is too early to present standardized surgical techniques of thoracoscopic surgery.