Thoracoscopic surgery in children

: Thoracoscopy offers numerous diagnostic and therapeutic options in pediatric surgery. This paper reviews some of the principal thoracoscpic procedures performed in children. Thoracoscopy for empyema, pectus excavatum, chylothorax, etc., will be discussed. Thoracoscpy has been postulated to offer similar results as conventional surgery with lower morbidity and reduced hospital stay. These assumptions still await systematic studies , however.