The chest cavity (thorax for short) contains the vital organs of the heart and lungs. Thoracic surgery may be necessary as a result of accidents, cancer or narrowing of the bronchial tubes. These operations are performed by thoracic surgeons.
According to the definition of the German Society for Thoracic Surgery, thoracic surgery includes the diagnosis and treatment of
- Diseases, malformations and injuries of the chest wall
- Diseases, malformations and injuries of the diaphragm
- Diseases, malformations and injuries of the lungs and adjacent parts of the heart
In anatomy, the rib cage is also called the thorax; it is the upper part of the torso @ Katleho Seisa/peopleimages.com /AdobeStock
Thoracic surgeons primarily deal with the surgical treatment of:
Funnel chest is often a genetic malformation of the anterior chest wall @ smile35 /AdobeStock
As far as possible, thoracic surgery specialists prefer minimally invasive operations to reduce the risk of infection. At the same time, this also increases the chance of a complication-free recovery after thoracic surgery.
Two particularly common conditions in thoracic surgery are pneumothorax and fluid retention in the chest cavity.
If air enters the chest from the outside, the lungs collapse and breathing becomes difficult. Doctors then speak of a pneumothorax.
In this case, the thoracic surgeon must find the cause of the pneumothorax and close the underlying injury.
He draws the air out of the chest and repairs the thorax so that no new air can enter.
The situation is very similar when fluid accumulates in the chest, usually as a result of infections or tumors.
In this case, the thoracic surgery specialist sucks out (drains) the fluid. This prevents pathogens from settling around the lungs or tumor cells from spreading.
Before thoracic surgery specialists can open up the chest cavity, however, they must first get an idea of their patient's interior. To do this, they use various imaging procedures, such as X-rays, ultrasound or radiological images.
In order to rule out infections, it is advisable to perform a bronchoscopy or even a pleural puncture before surgery. Only when all these examinations have been carried out and the patient appears fit for surgery does the thoracic surgeon take action.
Thoracic surgeons are, as the name suggests, primarily surgeons. Their range of tasks therefore includes thoracotomy and thoracoscopy in particular. By thoracotomy, doctors mean the surgical opening of the thorax through an incision between the ribs. There are different types of thoracotomy depending on the location and size of the incision.
Thoracoscopy is a minimally invasive method used by doctors to examine the chest cavity and pleura. They can use this method of thoracic surgery to insert instruments or medication into the chest cavity.
Thoracic surgery is a branch of surgery. Prospective specialists in thoracic surgery generally have to complete a training plan. This includes 2 years of basic training in surgical methodology and a 4-year specialization phase in thoracic surgery.
