Thoracic surgery is commonly associated with severe postoperative pain and marked impairment of respiratory function.1 Minimally invasive video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) is assumed to result in better quality of life and less postoperative pain compared with standard open thoracotomy, other investigators have reported comparable patient-reported physical component summary and pain scores after VATS and thoracotomy during the first 12 months after lung resection.2 That study was non-randomized and 41% of the included patients did not complete the follow-up period.2 VATS has recently been increasing in popularity as a fast-track surgery with potential enhanced recovery after surgery.