Part of our extra training is to gain expertise in the area of thoracic (chest) surgery for children of all ages from newborns to teenagers. Our team of pediatric surgeons also care for children with traumatic (accidental) injuries to the chest.
Thoracic surgeries include:
- Chest wall to correct congenital (birth) defects
- "Pectus" deformities
- Operations on the lungs, esophagus (swallowing tube), diaphragm (muscle for breathing), ribs, and blood vessels around the heart.
- Tumors of the chest
- Empyema (complications of pneumonias and other infections)
- Pneumothorax (collapsed lung)
- Pectus excavatum ("sunken chest" - depression of the breastbone)
- Hernias of the diaphragm, esophageal atresia (absence or a gap in the swallowing tube)
- Tracheoesophageal fistula (an abnormal connection from the windpipe to the swallowing tube)
- Lung cysts and sometimes tumors of the lung or other organs in the chest
Minimally Invasive Techniques
In addition to traditional surgery, we also treat many thoracic diseases or problems with endoscopic (telescope) techniques. This includes removing foreign bodies of the trachea and esophagus (objects like peanuts or coins that are swallowed by children) and removing infection or parts of lungs with thoracoscopy (telescopes placed through small holes in the chest).
We are also now able to treat some chest wall deformities with these minimally invasive surgery techniques. Instead of major chest surgery, some procedures only require placing internal braces through small incisions.