Lung Procedures & Surgery
Problems in the chest area are often related to the lungs. Our respiratory medicine specialists (also known as thoracic medicine specialists or pulmonologists) and cardiothoracic surgeons focus on early diagnosis and effective treatment, so you can enjoy the best quality of life possible, without breathing problems getting in the way.
Respiratory Medicine
Respiratory medicine specialists are concerned with early diagnosis and treatment of your respiratory condition. Following diagnosis, you may then be referred to other specialists for lung procedures or surgery based on your individual requirements.
Interventional Pulmonary Procedures
A relatively new area within respiratory medicine, interventional pulmonary procedures are minimally invasive – enabling doctors to diagnose and treat lung conditions more easily using tools such as endoscopy. Interventional pulmonary procedures that the San offers include:
- Bronchoscopy
- Bronchial thermoplasty (BT)
- Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS)
- Radial EBUS and cryobiopsy
- Endoscopic lung volume reduction (ELVR)
- Dilatation/stenting of airways via flexible and rigid bronchoscopy
Lung Surgeries and Procedures
Sometimes referred to as thoracic surgery, lung surgery can be necessary to treat conditions such as lung or oesophageal cancer, pleural or mediastinal tumours, lung metastases or recurrent pleural effusions. Some of the lung procedures carried out at the San include:
- Decortication
- Lobectomy
- Pneumonectomy
- Tissue biopsy
- Wedge resection
- Oesophagectomy
Benefits of Minimally Invasive Surgery
At the San our surgeons perform two kinds of lung surgery: thoracotomy (open surgery) and thoracoscopy (keyhole surgery, which is less invasive). The benefits of new, minimally invasive surgery include smaller incisions, reduced scarring and pain, and a faster recovery time. The technique your surgeon recommends will depend on your individual condition – and either way, you will be well supported by our nursing team throughout your recovery.
Conditions we treat
- Asthma
- COPD
- Allergies
- Sleep disorders
- Lung cancer
- Pulmonary fibrosis
- Pneumonia
- Intestinal disease
- Mesothelioma
- Asbestosis
- Pulmonary embolus
- Pulmonary hypertension
- Emphysema
- Chronic cough