The authors’ communication deals with standard cases of the application of thoracoscopy in the diagnostics and treatment. On the Cardiological Clinic of the Medical School of the Charles University and University Hospital in Hradec Králové they performed in the period 2000–2004 153 out of 837 operations using thoracoscopy (18.3%) and 22 using video assisted thoracoscopy (2.6%). Apart from the standard indications the authors mention two rare thoracoscopies when extracting a foreign body from the thorax and lungs.

        Key words: videothoracoscopy – pneumothorax – migration of foreign bodies