Interventional Thoracoscopy in Small Animals

Thoracoscopy is a minimally invasive technique for viewing the internal structures of the thoracic cavity. The procedure uses a rigid telescope placed through a portal and positioned in the thoracic wall to examine the contents of the pleural cavity. Once the telescope is in place, either biopsy forceps or an assortment of surgical instruments can be introduced into the thoracic cavity through adjacent portals in the thoracic wall to perform various diagnostic or surgical procedures. The minimal invasiveness of the procedure, the rapid patient recovery, and the diagnostic accuracy make thoracoscopy an ideal technique compared with other more invasive procedures. This article discusses the use of interventional thoracoscopy (an emerging surgical technique) in veterinary surgery to perform pericardial window, subtotal pericardiectomy, or lung lobectomy to correct vascular ring anomalies, to ligate patent ductus arteriosus and the thoracic duct, and to aid in the treatment of pyothorax. Most procedures are performed under thoracoscopy, and some procedures can be thoracoscopically assisted.