TRAINING IN THORACOSCOPY IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery should be within the armamentariu m of every thoracic surgeon today. Rapid expansion in this field has l ed to an unprecedented demand from practising surgeons to acquire the new skills, Five levels of training can he described: (1) didactic lec tures; (2) demonstration of procedures: (3) practice on simulators; (4 ) animal surgery; (5) preceptorship, The First four are usually provid ed in training courses or workshops, while the last requires procterin g or attachment to a training centre. The ultimate goal is to integrat e all these into the surgical residency programs. Developments in the virtual reality module may revolutionise training in the future.