Subxiphoid pneumonectomy: the new frontier?

Over the last decade there has been a significant drive towards minimally invasive thoracic surgery. The reported benefits of video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) over open surgery include reduced postoperative pain, reduced postoperative complications, reduced length of hospital-stay and period of recovery to normal function (1-4). With increased experience, more advanced procedures are now reportedly performed by VATS in high volume centres, including sleeve and carinal resections (5,6).