ABSTRACT
Advances in surgery of the pleural cavity have been facilitated by the application of video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) over the past 20 years. Although diagnostic
procedures are widely applicable, therapeutic VATS requires specic training. Complex VATS procedures are performed only by specialist surgeons, and this specialization extends to some open pleural surgery that is carried out in only a limited number of centers. is chapter will address the
● Early surgical intervention is indicated in both spontaneous pneumothorax and multiloculated pleural empyema to maximize the benets of minimally invasive surgery.
