What type of tests/procedures help diagnose and treat:
- Chest X-rays and CT scans provide valuable information on what your chest structures look like.
- PET scans help identify body tissues that are metabolically overactive, such as infection, cancer, and inflammation.
- Pulmonary function tests (PFT) help determine how well your lungs are working and can help guide treatment.
- Biopsies, whether done in the Radiology department (FNA, CT-guided) or operating room, tell us what kind of tissue is present and whether or not it is cancerous, infectious, or inflammatory.
- Bronchoscopy is done with a narrow scope and allows your doctor to see what your breathing tubes look like.
- Mediatinoscopy is an operation done through a short incision at the top of the breast bone and allows your doctor to look at and biopsy the lymph nodes in the middle part of your chest.
- Mediastinotomy is an operation that allows your doctor to remove growths and lymph nodes from the middle part of your chest. This is also a short incision that can be done from the left or the right side.
- Thoracoscopy is an operation that is done with a camera through an incision in the patient's side and allows the doctor to see what the lungs and middle part of your chest look like. Often times, the necessary surgery can be performed via this approach. This is considered minimally invasive surgery. This is done under general anesthesia.
- Thoracotomy is an operation that involves a larger incision in between the ribs that allows the doctor to do more extensive surgery. This also requires general anesthesia.
- Sternotomy is a vertical incision through the middle of your breast bone (sternum) that allows the surgeon to access structures in the middle part of your chest. This is done under general anesthesia.
- Esophagectomy is an operation that requires general anesthesia. It involves removing a part or all of your esophagus. The incisions typically are located in the left neck and abdomen. Often times, a right thoracotomy may also be needed depending on the location of the tumor. A portion of the operation may be done using minimally invasive techniques but this will be at the discretion of the surgeon.
- Anti-reflux surgery (Nissen Fundoplication) is an elective surgical procedure to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and hiatus hernia. In GERD it is usually performed when medical therapy has failed or in the presence of Barrett’s esophagus. In paraesophageal hiatus hernia it is the first-line procedure. This operation may be performed via either the open or laparoscopic approach.
- Heller myotomy is a surgical procedure in which the muscles of the lower esophagus are cut allowing food and liquids to pass to the stomach. It is used to treat achalasia, a disorder in which the lower esophageal sphincter fails to relax properly, making it difficult for food and liquids to reach the stomach.