A Treatment to Improve and Save Lives

Thoracic Surgery Offered at Penn Highlands

At Penn Highlands Healthcare, a thoracic surgeon will recommend the least invasive process to give you the best results. Some of our advanced treatments and procedures we perform include:

Chest wall resection and reconstruction. A chest wall resection may be performed on people who have experienced a traumatic injury or have an infection or tumor. The procedure involves the removal of the sternum, ribs, cartilage or other soft tissue located within the chest wall. Chest wall reconstruction is a surgical procedure that helps to rebuild the skeletal structure of the chest wall with plating after resection.

Lung decortication. This procedure is performed on people diagnosed with empyema which may result with pneumonia or a thoracic trauma. Lung decortication helps restore lung expansion and removes the source of infection.

Heller myotomy. When foods and liquids have difficulty reaching the stomach because the esophagus fails to relax, this minimally invasive procedure helps relieve pressure in the esophagus by dividing the muscle layers to access the stiffened tissues.

Hiatal hernia surgery via Nissen fundoplication. For people suffering from a hiatal hernia and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD, this procedure tightens and reinforces the ring-like muscles at the top of the stomach to prevent stomach acid from rising into the esophagus.

Lung resection. Sometimes referred to as a lobectomy or thoracotomy, lung resection involves the removal of part or all of the lung. The procedure may be performed to treat a variety of conditions from an infection to emphysema or cancer.

Nuss procedure. This minimally invasive procedure uses a few small incisions to slip a stainless steel bar under the sternum to correct a sunken chest.

Pericardial Window. The pericardium is a fibrous sac that encloses the heart and vessels to keep them in a stable location. When fluid builds up within the sac, it can be life threatening if it is not drained. A pericardial window removes part of the sac enabling the surgeon to drain the excess fluid.

Thymectomy. The thymus gland is part of the body’s immune system. A thymectomy, which is a procedure to remove the thymus, is performed on people with tumors on the thymus or those who have moderate to severe weakness from myasthenia gravis.