Video-assisted thoracic surgery is a minimally invasive method for performing surgery within the chest. During VATS, your surgeon can view and operate inside the chest using a small camera and long instruments inserted through two or three small incisions. Using this method, your surgeon may:

• Remove a portion of the lung
• Obtain a biopsy of a tumor
• Drain fluid from around the lung
• Prevent repeated episodes of pneumothorax (collapsed lung)

Compared with traditional chest surgery that uses a long incision, patients who go through VATS often have:

• A faster recovery
• A shorter hospital stay
• Less pain