Thoracic Surgery is the medical specialty that deals with the diagnosis and surgical treatment of conditions affecting various organs located within the thorax, excluding the heart and great vessels. Eighty percent of thoracic surgery procedures address conditions related to neoplastic processes.

Surgical procedures:

Surgical treatment of thoracic neoplasms – complex surgical procedures (via thoracotomy or video-assisted thoracoscopy) with radical or palliative intent, targeting thoracic cancers:

• Primary lung cancer, pulmonary metastases

• Mediastinal tumors

• Chest wall tumors

Histological diagnosis of various thoracic conditions via:

• Mediastinoscopy

• Transthoracic needle biopsy in solid tumors

• Surgical biopsy of pulmonary nodules (primary or metastatic)

• Surgical lung biopsy in diffuse interstitial lung diseases

• Thoracoscopic diagnosis of pleural diseases

• Surgery for benign thoracic conditions

• Surgical treatment of pulmonary hydatid cysts, pleuropericardial cysts

• Surgical repair of chest wall defects, diaphragmatic plication in diaphragmatic paralysis, sympathectomy for palmar hyperhidrosis

• Treatment of pleural disorders

• Suppurations (empyemas)

• Pneumothorax

• Hemothorax

• Pleurodesis for recurrent malignant pleural effusions

• Management of malignant pericarditis

Close collaboration between thoracic surgeons and pulmonologists, oncologists, anesthesiologists, radiologists, general surgeons, and pathologists enables achieving very favorable outcomes in the management of conditions specific to this specialty.