| Abstract: |
The earliest reports of minimally invasive lobectomies were published more than a decade ago. The reaction to this development was summarized by the results of an opinion survey conducted of members of the General Thoracic Surgery Club in 1997. The results showed that 4% of surgeons deemed video-assisted thorascopic suegery (VATS) major lung resections preferable to thoracotomy, 15% deemed it acceptable, 45% viewed it as an investigational procedure, and 36% thought it was unacceptable. The reasons are manifold. Perhaps most importantly, because lung cancer is the most common indication for performing lobectomy, the question of adequacy of the operation in satisfying surgical oncologic principles remains a hurdle in many surgeons' minds. © 2007 Springer-Verlag London Limited. |
