VATS surgery is pretty widely accepted as a substitute for an open thoracotomy, with less pain and shorter recovery time. If it's done by a surgeon with sufficient experience, it is quite likely to provide efficacy completely comparable to the bigger surgery.
Please note that we aren't able to provide medical advice and tell someone what they should do. That decision needs to be between the patient and his or her doctor(s) who have all of he relevant details.
Reply # - June 26, 2014, 07:47 PM
Reply To: traditional surgery or VATS?
VATS surgery is pretty widely accepted as a substitute for an open thoracotomy, with less pain and shorter recovery time. If it's done by a surgeon with sufficient experience, it is quite likely to provide efficacy completely comparable to the bigger surgery.
Here's a little more about VATS:
http://cancergrace.org/lung/2007/03/24/vats-for-early-lung-cancer/
Please note that we aren't able to provide medical advice and tell someone what they should do. That decision needs to be between the patient and his or her doctor(s) who have all of he relevant details.
-Good luck.
-Dr. West