ABSTRACT
A retrospective study was done from October 1992 to December 1996 of 48 patients who underwent video-assisted thoracoscopy. A male to female ratio of 3.7:1 was seen, with a mean age of 50 ± 19 years. The underlying diagnoses included spontaneous pneumothorax (n = 23), malignant pleural effusion (n = 16), lung disease (n = 4), trauma (n = 2), empyema (n = 2) and oesophageal carcinoma (n = 1). The use of this modality is discussed in the treatment of various intrathoracic pathologies.
Thoracoscopy was first introduced by Jacobaeus nearly a century ago. With the development of endoscopic equipment and the recent surge of interest in minimally invasive surgery, video-assisted thoracoscopy (VATS) has found many uses, both diagnostic and therapeutic, in the management of intrathoracic pathology.
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