Recognized Leaders in Thoracic Care
When you need thoracic surgery, experience matters. St. Joseph’s Health thoracic surgeons are highly skilled in diagnosing and treating a wide range of conditions in the chest cavity, from acid reflux and hiatal hernia to the spectrum of lung cancer. We use the latest techniques so you can recover faster and feel your best. In addition to traditional surgeries, our thoracic experts perform cutting-edge, minimally invasive surgeries using advanced imaging, robots and specially designed instruments that are safer, less painful and allow for a quicker recovery. We are leaders in using video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), robot-assisted thoracic surgery, and minimally invasive surgical approaches to diagnose and treat lung cancer and other thoracic conditions. We are also experts at using a robot-assisted bronchoscopy tool to perform minimally invasive biopsies, that help determine if surgery is necessary.
As thoracic surgeries are usually complex, our surgeons take a multidisciplinary approach and collaborate with colleagues in the fields of pulmonology, gastroenterology, radiology, pathology, medical oncology, radiation oncology, and radiology. Working together, your care team develops a treatment strategy targeted to your specific needs.
Conditions We Treat
St. Josephs’s Health offers surgery for many chest conditions, from the common to the complex, including:
- Achalasia
- Acid reflux
- Chest Wall Tumors
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
- Emphysema
- Esophageal Cancer
- Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
- Hiatal hernia
- Hyperhidrosis
- Lung Cancer
- Mediastinal tumors
- Mesothelioma
- Myasthenia Gravis
- Pectus Excavatum
- Pleurisy
- Pneumothorax
- Thoracic outlet syndrome
- Tracheal stenosis
- Trachea tumor
Advanced Treatment Options
In addition to performing open surgery, we also use minimally invasive techniques such as robotic-assisted surgery and video-assisted surgery. Robotic-assisted surgery allows for smaller incisions that result in faster recovery time, shorter hospital stay, and less postoperative pain. Our doctors perform the following thoracic surgery procedures:
- Decortication
- Lung resection including lobectomy, segmentectomy, sleeve resection, to remove part of the lung, and pneumonectomy, to remove an entire lung
- Lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS)
- Thoracic sympathectomy (endoscopic)
- Thymectomy
- Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). a minimally invasive surgical technique used to diagnose and treat cancer in the chest. During VATS, a tiny camera and surgical instruments are inserted in the chest though small incisions.
