20-year history of thoracic surgery in Russian Federation

The article demonstrates thoracic surgery advances in Russia for the last 20 years. The main patterns of thoracic diagnosis for chest pathologies are described. The directions of open thoracic surgery development over the above period are defined, with focus on the challenges waiting to be met. The state-of-the art and perspectives for videothoracoscopic surgery are overviewed. Possible directions for new scientific and clinical avenues of Russian thoracic surgery are outlined: reconstructive surgery, transplantology and bioengineering technologies. Also analyzed are the changes in continuous training of thoracic surgeons.