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Recent technical advances have revolutionized the fields of surgical endoscopy, laparoscopy, thoracoscopy, and microsurgical spinal endoscopy. The authors discuss the rich history and recent evolution of these techniques. Thoracoscopy had been widely used for the treatment of pleural conditions associated with tuberculosis. It was largely abandoned in the 1950s when effective antituberculosis medications were introduced. In the 1980s the development of video-assisted endoscopic procedures in the fields of general surgery, orthopedics, and otolaryngology provided new impetus to revive thoracoscopy. As a result of these advances thoracoscopy replaced open thoracotomy in many cardiothoracic procedures. These improvements led to the application of these techniques to treat disorders of the spine. By the mid-1990s microsurgical endoscopy was being used effectively to treat thoracic disc disease, perform anterior surgical release procedures for scoliosis, resect tumors, and even to conduct complex spinal fusions and reconstructions. As technology continues to improve, there is no doubt that thoracoscopic surgery will find a permanent place in the armamentarium of techniques used to treat pathological entities of the spine.