Advanced procedures can be performed with thoracoscopy in dogs. Idiopathic pericardial effusion requires multiple biopsies to be taken to confirm the diagnosis. Small pulmonary masses away from the hilus are amenable to resection with thoracoscopy, 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 positioned into the thoracic wall in order to examine the contents of the pleural cavity. Once the telescope is in place, either biopsy forceps or an assortment of surgical instruments can also be introduced into the thorax through adjacent thoracic portals 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 to more invasive procedures. Small animal thoracoscopy has not only developed into a diagnostic tool but more recently has progressed to become a means for minimally invasive surgical procedures.
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