Video-Assisted Lung Cancer Surgery: Small Incisions Mean Reduced Pain, Faster Recovery

01.13.2011

One of the great joys in Borton's life is her garden. Because her Stanford surgeon, an expert in minimally invasive thoracic surgery, was able to remove her cancerous lung lesion with just three small incisions, she was back in her garden very quickly.

I liked Dr. Shrager the minute I met him, and with my experience, I'm a pretty good judge.

-Bonnie Borton, patient, Stanford Hospital & Clinics

Surgical nurse Wilberto Gutierrez, RN, holds the long wand that holds a fiberoptic scope for the video camera that enables video-assisted thoracic surgery (top). The scope allows Stanford physician Joseph Shrager to work inside the lungs and chest with sharp and detailed visibility. The smaller photo shows two sizes of video lenses.

It's like putting your eye right into the chest, right next to the things you're dissecting.

-Joseph Shrager, Chief, Thoracic Surgery and video-assisted lobectomy expert, Stanford Hospital & Clinics

I was walking around the kitchen and I was giving each one of them a hug and they were looking at me like, 'God, this woman just had major surgery!'

-Bonnie Borton, patient, Stanford Hospital & Clinics
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