Thoracoscopic Lobectomy in Infants and Neonates

Abstract

Video-assisted thoracic surgery is a well-established approach to managing lung pathology in the adult and adolescent population. This minimally invasive strategy has also gained traction for the care of infants and neonates with congenital lung lesions. Thoracoscopic surgery for infants and neonates requires special attention to these patients’ unique physiology. Careful consideration must also be given to lung isolation, the effects of insufflation, and the constraints of small working spaces. Additionally, anomalies such as congenital pulmonary airway malformations have special anatomic considerations including cystic regions and anomalous feeding vessels. However, the basic surgical principles of pulmonary resection apply to infants and children as well as adults.