The current status of video-assisted thoracic surgery lobectomy

Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) lobectomy appears to be a safe procedure that may have advantages over lobectomy by thoracotomy for selected patients. The published series of VATS lobectomies for lung cancer suggest that lobectomy by VATS offers survival comparable to that of lobectomy by thoracotomy. VATS lobectomy is associated with a low morbidity and mortality and, perhaps, a shorter length of stay than thoracotomy. VATS lobectomy is a reasonable treatment option for selected patients with Stage I lung cancer when it is performed by surgeons with the skills to perform a complete cancer operation via VATS.