Confronting the fundamental challenges of airway surgery: a paradigm shift is practically upon us

Video assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) for tracheal and bronchial pathology remains one of the great technical challenges in thoracic surgery. Dr. Li et al.’s paper and accompanying video succinctly articulates and displays how VATS is feasible in mid-tracheal lesions. Due to the rarity of tracheal pathology, most thoracic surgeons are deprived of the opportunity to master any one technique or modality. The authors’ conclusion supports this view: “it (tracheal resection) remains a highly challenging procedure for most medical teams.” (1).