Mediastinoscopy and mediastinotomy are used primarily in the staging of lung cancer; they are also of value in biopsying mediastinal masses and lymph nodes to establish diagnoses such as sarcoidosis,lymphoma, and mediastinal tumors. Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) was introduced in 1990 and has now replaced open thoracotomy in the evaluation of many pleuropulmonary disorders. Specific advantages of VATS over open thoracotomy include the use of smaller incisions, reduced operative morbidity, and optimal visualization of the entire lung and pleural space. In many centers it has become the procedure of choice for the biopsy of interstitial disease, indeterminate lung nodules, or pleural lesions. The role of VATS for staging of lung cancer patients is still under debate. VATS procedures have also been adopted for the treatment of a wide range of thoracic disorders. With increasing experience surgeons have become more skilled with this limited access technique and meanwhile lobectomies can be performed safely. The role of VATS in the management of lung metastases or lung cancer is still being investigated. It is a concern that there is a temptation to do less when a minimal access operation is performed that does not allow for palpation of the lung. In addition, lymph node dissection cannot be performed adequately and there continue to be reports of local recurrences in port sites. If the VATS approach is to be used, surgeons should always respect the oncological principles that have been developed over the past decades.