title: Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for complex mediastinal mass resections.
abstract: Minimally invasive surgery has changed the way operative procedures are performed in many specialties. As surgeons have become progressively facile with these techniques, the opportunities to use them have expanded. In thoracic surgery, many surgeons now use minimally invasive techniques to resect small, uncomplicated pathologies of the mediastinum as well as to perform thymectomy for myasthenia gravis. Experience with these techniques has allowed new knowledge to be gained and expansion of the use of these techniques for more complicated mediastinal pathology. This keynote address will outline the instrumentation and techniques that we have adopted over a decade of using these techniques for more complicated mediastinal pathology.
authors.affiliation: 1 Division of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, 2 Department of Anesthesia, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC 2007, USA.
authors.forename: M Blair
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Marshall
authors.affiliation: 1 Division of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, 2 Department of Anesthesia, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC 2007, USA.
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: DeMarchi
authors.affiliation: 1 Division of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, 2 Department of Anesthesia, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC 2007, USA.
authors.forename: Dominic A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Emerson
authors.affiliation: 1 Division of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, 2 Department of Anesthesia, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC 2007, USA.
authors.forename: Matthew L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Holzner
keywords: Mediastinum; cyst; thymoma; video-assist thoracic surgery (VATS)