Minimally invasive thoracic surgeries that may be performed to treat cancer include:
Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS): During this operation, the surgeon inserts a long, thin tube with an attached camera through a small incision in the chest. This instrument is called a thoracoscope. Special instruments also are inserted through small incisions in the chest. The surgeon operates while watching the video from the thoracoscope on high-resolution monitors in the operating room.
Robotic thoracic surgery: Like VATS, this procedure allows the surgeon to view the surgical site via a camera inserted in the chest. The surgeon operates at a console, using controls that translate the surgeon’s hand, wrist and finger movements into movements of the instruments inserted in the chest.