title: Video-assisted thoracic surgery--the past, present status and the future.
abstract: Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) has developed very rapidly in these two decades, and has replaced conventional open thoracotomy as a standard procedure for some simple thoracic operations as well as an option or a complementary procedure for some other more complex operations. In this paper we will review its development history, the present status and the future perspectives.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Taipei Tzu-Chi Medical University Hospital, Taiwan 231, China. luh572001@yahoo.com.tw
authors.forename: Shi-ping
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Luh
authors.forename: Hui-ping
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D004653:Empyema / Q000601:surgery; D004935:Esophageal Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D004947:Esophagus / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D008477:Mediastinal Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D010996:Pleural Effusion / Q000601:surgery; D011030:Pneumothorax / Q000601:surgery; D020775:Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends*