VATS is a form of minimally invasive surgery that utilizes a television camera. The advantage of the camera-aided procedures are that smaller incisions can be used. This results in quicker, less intrusive surgery, with a much smaller scar. However, using these new procedures requires significant skill and a great deal of training. There is less, or at least different, visibility with VATS. If a serious problem arises, VATS can be converted to a traditional open procedure.