A 41-year-old woman complained of chest pain when coughing. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging disclosed a homogenously enhanced tumor occupying the spinal canal at the Th7 level and extending into the right paravertebral space through the intervertebral foramen between Th7 and Th8. The tumor was successfully removed via a posterolateral approach using unilateral hemilaminectomy...

A patient presenting with a pacemaker lead infection and tricuspid regurgitation underwent a minimally invasive video-assisted tricuspid valve replacement. The valve was approached through a right anterior mini thoracotomy. Under thoracoscopic vision and peripheral cardiopulmonary bypass, a catheter was placed on the ascending aorta for antegrade cardioplegia delivery. A transthoracic aortic cr...

This study reports our early experience with thoracoscopic division of vascular rings. Three patients were reviewed; their ages at surgery were 25 months, 4 years, and 57 years. All patients were suffering from complete vascular rings involving combinations of the right aortic arch, left ligamentum arteriosum, Kommerell's diverticulum, and retroesophageal left subclavian artery. The median surg...

Advancements in minimally invasive surgical techniques and instruments for neonates have allowed even the most complex neonatal procedures to be approached endoscopically. In 1998 the first successful thoracoscopic repair of an esophageal atresia was performed in a 2-month-old infant. One year later the first totally thoracoscopic repair of an atresia with distal fistula was realized. Over the ...

A technique of harvesting both internal mammary arteries thoracoscopically using three unilateral ports is described. Bilateral thoracoscopic internal mammary artery (IMA) harvesting was performed using a unilateral approach in 18 patients. The mean harvest time for harvesting was 52.3 +/- 17.5 min for the contralateral LIMA and 35.6 +/- 6.7 min for the ipsilateral RIMA. The mean free flow for ...

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), apical blebectomy and chemical pleurodesis are often combined to prevent recurrence of spontaneous pneumothorax [1,2]. Postoperative pain arising from above procedures can be severe, leading to increased length of stay [2,3]. Effective analgesia in the immediate post-operative period is necessary for optimal recovery, and satisfactory postoperative p...

Thymectomy is the treatment for thymoma or Myasthenia Gravis patients. With the development of thoracoscopic surgical instruments and techniques in recent years, single port video assisted thoracoscopic thymectomy is increasingly practiced for such patients. Although single port thymectomy is feasible and may be preferable, there is a lack of detailed step-by-step procedures outlined in the lit...

The development of a persistent air leak after pneumothorax can be encountered in patients with underlying structural lung disease. In those with advanced malignancy or other comorbidities, the ability to tolerate general anesthesia and thoracoscopic procedures may limit definitive management. We describe the case of a 68-y-old male with refractory acute myelogenous leukemia presenting with rec...

objective : double aortic arch (daa) is a rare congenital malformation. strategies for diagnosis and treatment are different. thoracoscopic treatment of daa is limited to case reports or little case series. we report a description of our diagnostic and therapeutic approach and evaluate outcomes. methods: we reviewed charts of infants with double aortic arch who were hospitalized in our departme...

Thoracoscopic surgery has been potentiated by advances in technology since it was first embarked upon in the early 20th century. A review of the literature pertinent to the use of three-dimensional (3D) imaging in video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery was performed. There is little high-quality data available on this topic. Current evidence supports non-inferiority of 3D over conventional two-di...