Thoracic Surgery

Treatments

• Chest wall resections: A chest wall resection is performed to treat tumors, infection, radiation necrosis and trauma. It is a type of open surgery to remove soft tissue, cartilage, sternum or ribs. Artificial bone or titanium plating is used to rebuild the skeletal structure of your chest wall.
• Chest wall tumors: There are two types of chest wall tumor – primary and secondary. Primary chest wall tumors come from muscle, fat, blood vessels, cartilage or the bone of the chest wall (the area of the body that surrounds and protects the lungs). Secondary chest wall tumors arise when cancerous tumors spread from other parts of the body.
• Decortication: Decortication is a minimally invasive procedure to remove an infection that can occur after you have pneumonia or chest bleeding. It can lead to difficulty breathing. Decortication .
• Lobectomy: A lobectomy is a surgical treatment for lung disease. Your lungs are made up of five sections, or lobes. There are three lobes in the right lung and two in the left. In a lobectomy, your surgeon removes one of these lobes. Post-surgery, the healthy tissue makes up for the missing lobe, so there should be no loss of lung function.
• Pleural biopsies: The pleura is a thin tissue that surrounds your lungs and lines your chest cavity. A pleural biopsy removes a tissue sample to test for disease or infection. Pleural biopsies are minimally invasive procedures that can take place at your doctor’s office.
• Pleural catheters: The pleura is a thin tissue that surrounds your lungs and lines your chest cavity. If there is a buildup of fluid in the pleura, it can lead to a shortness of breath that is relieved by draining the fluid. When this recurs, a pleural catheter can be inserted to relieve pressure. It is a soft silicone tube that patients can use to drain fluid as needed.
• Thoracotomy: A thoracotomy is a surgical procedure that is often performed to treat lung cancer. In a thoracotomy, your surgeon will make an incision in your chest wall between your ribs. Other reasons to receive a thoracotomy include lobectomy, biopsy of an unknown growth, to remove an infection in the chest cavity and lung transplant.
• VATS biopsies: In a Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS) biopsy, small cameras and surgical instruments are inserted into your chest through one ore small cuts in the chest wall. It is a minimally invasive surgical technique that results in less pain and quicker recovery.