Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) major pulmonary resections: different approaches and focus on the full thoracoscopic fissure-based technique

Abstract

Many thoracoscopic techniques have recently been described. They vary according to the number of trocars and whether an access incision is used. Recently, studies have attempted to compare different approaches. These studies are limited by many factors: they are underpowered, many technical details are missing, and they are most often initiated by teams with significant experience in one of the techniques and little experience in the others. We analyze the most commonly used techniques and detail the place of a multi-port fissure-based approach.