Summary:
Twenty years after the first announcement of its application, thoracoscopic lobectomy has become the gold standard for the treatment of early stage lung cancer in many large medical centres in other countries. This method appears to offer faster recovery and a lower rate of complications than the conventional open technique, but many thoracic surgeons, including those in the Greek national health care system, continue to argue against the effectiveness of the method in the management of primary lung cancer.

Material and Methods:
Between March 2009 and October 2012, 17 patients with peripheral lung tumours and unrevealing bronchoscopy underwent fully thoracoscopic lobectomy. All the operations were performed under general anaesthesia, with one-lung ventilation and without the use of a rib spreader, through the creation of 3-4 ports in the ipsilateral hemithorax. Lymph node dissection or sampling was carried out in all patients, after completion of the lobectomy.

Results:
Specifically 4 right upper, 1 middle, 2 lower right, 6 left upper and 4 left lower thoracoscopic lobectomies were performed. The mean duration of operation was 3 hours and the mean duration of hospital stay was 4 days.

Conclusion:
Thoracoscopic lobectomy is a safe, and minimally traumatic procedure that offers faster recovery compared with the open method. The oncological results are comparable to those of the open thoracotomy technique, provided that the intraoperative principles of radical resection and lymphadenectomy are maintained.