Thoracoscopic surgery in children

Aim of this paper is to illustrate the indications to and technical aspects of video-assisted lung resection in children. Lobectomy, segmentectomy and pleural debridement are the most important indications for lung diseases. The importance of the Video Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS) and staplers is discussed. The authors underline that 1) video assisted surgery has limited applications in children, 2)the muscle sparing approach is of utmost importance in children and 3)lung resection has to be performed using mechanical staplers The authors present their experience in the use of lung parenchymal procedures in children.