Thoracic Surgery

Thoracic surgery refers to surgery in the thorax or chest region of the body. The heart and lungs reside in the thoracic cavity, inside the rib cage. Cardiothoracic surgeons at UC San Diego Health provide advanced and innovative surgical care to patients from around the world.

Cardiac (heart) surgeons and thoracic (lung) surgeons have different areas of expertise. Lung surgeons at UC San Diego Health are highly skilled in the treatment a broad spectrum of conditions occurring in the chest and lungs.

Conditions and Surgical Treatments

• Lung cancer - minimally invasive video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), complex lung resections
• Emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) - lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) and lung transplantation.
• Hyperhidrosis and Raynaud’s disease – endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy
• Thymus tumors and Myasthenia gravis – robotic thymectomy
• Schwannomas and mediastinal tumors in the chest – complex and minimally invasive procedures to remove the mass
• Collapsed lung – minimally invasive surgical procedures for the treatment of collapsed lung
• Thoracic outlet syndrome – Our multidisciplinary care team for thoracic outlet syndrome includes thoracic surgeons and neurosurgeons.
• Pulmonary embolism – Read more about UC San Diego Health’s internationally recognized pulmonary thromboendarterectomy (PTE) program.

At the Center for Transplantation, our lung surgeons perform life-saving transplants for those with end-stage lung disease. Our expertise includes:

• Single lung transplant
• Double lung transplant
• Heart-lung transplant

• More about lung transplantation for patients with advanced lung disease..

Publications

Scientific Articles in Thoracic Surgery

Thoracic surgeons at UC San Diego Health are regularly published developments in research related to thoracic conditions and treatments.

Research

Clinical trials are highly regulated health-related research studies that move advances in the treatment of disease forward into clinical practice. They offer people the chance to receive newly developed therapies and provide crucial information for improving care. Thoracic surgeons are currently conducting clinical trials in the treatment of lung diseases and conditions. Find clinical trials at UC San Diego Health currently seeking participants.

Search Clinical Trials