Thoracic surgeons treat disorders that affect the structure and organs of the chest, especially the lungs. The Women's Guild Lung Institute offers inpatient and outpatient care for patients with diseases of the lungs, throat, chest wall, airways and the area separating the lungs. Our thoracic surgeons are pioneers in using less invasive surgery for patients with lung cancer and emphysema. They use the most advanced technology available.
We were one of the first medical centers to perform VATS. This is a type of surgery that uses only a small incision to put a telescopic instrument and surgical tools in the chest cavity. The more-standard thoracotomy, which leaves a six- to eight-inch scar, requires spreading the ribs and cutting chest wall muscles. This is more painful, can lead to more complications and a longer recovery. VATS only takes a two-inch cut. The ribs and chest muscles remain unharmed. Patients usually avoid the intensive care unit and go home in four days. Our thoracic surgeons have performed more than 300 VATS resections for lung cancer with identical outcomes compared to traditional thoracic surgery.
Cedars-Sinai is one of the few medical centers in the world to offer complete lung cancer operations using video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS). This means less pain, shorter hospital stays and faster recoveries than traditional, invasive, rib-spreading operations. Surgery offers the best chance of a cure for lung cancer. VATS lobectomy (removal of the affected lobe of the lung) is done when the tumor appears to only be in one lung and VATS can be safely performed. The operation removes the cancer and lymph nodes from the chest.
Lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) promises hope for some patients with moderate to severe emphysema. It is the first emphysema treatment to improve lung function and quality of life without removing a lung. The procedure involves cutting away only the most severely destroyed parts of the lung that aren't working. This reduces the size of the lung, letting the rest work better. Cedars-Sinai surgeons have done more than 500 LVRS with excellent results. In fact, we do more LVRS surgeries than any medical center in the United States.
