Objective To evaluate the feasibility of video-assisted thoracic surgery(VATS) for patients with esophageal diseases.Methods Form Jan.2000 to Jan.2002,eight patients with esophageal disease underwent VATS procedures,two of them were converted to open thoracotomy.Results There were no death in this group. Conclusion VATS is an alternative to open thoracotomy in early esophageal cancer and benign diseases,clear advantages over open thoracotomy were demonstrated.