Type of Surgery
Information

Last updated: 11/24/2009
The purpose of thoracic surgery is to treat diseased or injured organs in the thorax, including the esophagus (muscular tube that passes food to the stomach), trachea (windpipe that branches to form the right bronchus and the left bronchus), pleura...
(membranes that cover and protect the lung), mediastinum (area separating the left and right lungs), chest wall, diaphragm, heart, and lungs.
General thoracic surgery is a field that specializes in diseases of the lungs and esophagus. The field also encompasses accidents and injuries to the chest, esophageal disorders (esophageal cancer or esophagitis), lung cancer, lung transplantation, and surgery for emphysema.
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Other Information
Thoracic surgery is the field of medicine involved in the surgical treatment of diseases affecting organs inside the thorax (the chest) excluding the heart. Generally treatment of conditions of the lungs, chest wall, esophagus and diaphragm.
Thoracic surgery is often grouped with cardiac surgery and called cardiothoracic surgery.
"According to a June, 2003 article in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery, the workforce currently appears "right sized," although the workforce survey cited indicates significant retirement during the next 10 to 15 years. The annual salary for thoracic surgeons ranges from $218,550 to $533,000".
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