What is videothoracoscopy?
Videothoracoscopy is a minimally invasive method that allows the visualization of the pleural cavity, which allows the diagnosis and treatment of numerous thoracic diseases.
What does it consist of?
Videothoracoscopy is a minimally invasive surgical technique that consists of performing diagnostic and therapeutic procedures inside the thorax, with limited surgical trauma and in a way that avoids having to open the thoracic cavity considerably. This makes the postoperative procedure much easier and pain is almost non-existent. This technique has been applied and widely used in recent years thanks to the advance of technology, which now provides us with sophisticated optical and operative instruments without which this surgical method could not be performed.
Videothoracoscopy allows operations to be performed on the lung.
Why is it performed?
Videothoracoscopy now has a wide field of application, ranging from benign to tumor pathologies: with this technique, in fact, it is possible to perform both diagnostic procedures and procedures in which it is necessary to perform an operation of lung resection or removal of masses inside the thoracic cavity. For the diagnostic part, videothoracoscopy is very useful in the diagnosis of pleural diseases (pleural effusions of various types), diseases of the pulmonary interstitium (fibrosis, granulomatosis) and nodular lesions of the lung with suspected tumor. Videothoracoscopy can also be used for biopsies of lymph nodes or mediastinal masses (region between the two lungs). From the operative point of view, videothoracoscopy allows operations on the lung (lobectomies, segmental resections, atypical resections, lung decortications, removal of emphysema bubbles as in cases of recurrent pneumothorax), on the pleura (treatment of severe infections), on the thymus (removal of the thymus or its tumors) with a really light surgical trauma.
Preparation for videothoracoscopy
To perform videothoracoscopy, both diagnostic and surgical, it is necessary to have an operating room equipped for thoracic surgery. For simpler procedures, it can be performed under local anesthesia, while for more complex procedures, which therefore require longer operating times, the anesthesia should be general anesthesia. As a general rule, the patient is placed on the operating table in lateral decubitus (on the side) and held in this position by special soft supports. The procedure is performed through one or more small incisions in the chest, no more than three, which can measure from one to three centimeters. Through these incisions a camera can be inserted inside the chest, which is used to explore and make visible the structures to be operated on, enlarging them and transmitting the images on one or more high-definition screens, and the surgical instruments used to perform the operation. The surgeons’ hands always remain outside the thorax. Ultimately, one or, rarely, two chest drains will be placed.