Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) allows to treat pulmonary and mediastinal diseases although two-dimensional (2D) imaging can make difficult to estimate the morphological and topographical characteristics of a lesion. Some technical aspects have certainly been corrected with the introduction of robot-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS), although not widespread in less economically developed countries. As an emerging imaging system and technique, 3D VATS is an interesting resource for thoracic surgeons and it may be a proper and valid aid in minimally-invasive surgery, but not an alternative or a compromise to the most expensive robotic technology. The purpose of the study was to carefully analyze the different experiences reported in literature in order to evaluate the state of art of 3D VATS method in lung excision.
Keywords: Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS); non-small cell lung cancer; pulmonary lobectomy; robot-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS); three-dimensional (3D) technique.