How to Pronounce Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery

Say it like this: VID-ee-oh ah-SIS-ted thor-ah-KOS-kop-ik SER-juh-ree. The stress falls on the first syllable of 'video' (VID) and the second syllable of 'assisted' (SIS). The word 'thoracoscopic' is the trickiest part—break it into chunks: thor-ah-KOS-kop-ik, with the stress on the third syllable (KOS).

'Thoracoscopic' comes from two Greek roots: 'thorax' (the chest) and 'scope' (to look or view). So 'thoracoscopic' literally means 'looking into the chest.' The '-ic' at the end means 'relating to' that action.

The short form is VATS, which stands for Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery. You say it as one word: 'VATS' (like the plural of 'vat').

In simple terms, it's a surgical method that uses a tiny camera and small tools inserted through tiny cuts in the chest to perform surgery inside the chest area. The 'video-assisted' part means doctors watch what they're doing on a screen.

Many people stress the wrong syllable and say 'thor-ah-ko-SKOP-ik' (stressing the last syllable), but the correct way is 'thor-ah-KOS-kop-ik' (stressing the third syllable). Think of it as 'KOSS' not 'SKOPE.'

Here it is: VID-ee-oh / ah-SIS-ted / thor-ah-KOS-kop-ik / SER-juh-ree. That's 4 + 3 + 4 + 3 = 14 syllables total, which is why the full name feels long to say out loud.

Yes! Other common medical words share these roots: 'endoscopy' (looking inside the body), 'laparoscopy' (looking into the abdomen), and 'colonoscopy' (looking into the colon). They all use 'scope' or 'scopic' to mean 'viewing' or 'looking.'

You might hear: 'The surgeon recommended video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for the patient's lung biopsy.' Or more casually: 'They decided to do a VATS procedure instead of traditional open surgery.'