Thoracic Surgery

What is Thoracic Surgery?

Thoracic Surgery at Beacon Hospital focuses on diagnosing and treating conditions within the chest (thorax). While the primary focus is on the lungs, it also includes the oesophagus (food pipe), trachea (windpipe), chest wall, mediastinum (the area between the lungs), and diaphragm.

Our experienced thoracic surgeons are equipped to manage both common and complex chest-related diseases using advanced surgical techniques.

Your Journey with a Thoracic Surgeon - What to Expect

A thoracic surgeon does more than perform surgery. They play a key role throughout your entire care journey. Here’s how they support you with expertise, compassion and a personalised approach:

Diagnosis

Your journey begins with a thorough evaluation. Our thoracic surgeons work with specialists such as pulmonologists, oncologists, and radiologists to accurately diagnose conditions affecting your lungs, chest wall, oesophagus, or trachea using advanced imaging and diagnostic tools.

Treatment Planning

Once a diagnosis is made, our thoracic surgeon will develop a customised surgical treatment plan tailored to your condition, overall health, and preferences, ensuring that you receive the most appropriate and effective care.

Surgical Intervention

Our thoracic surgeons are skilled in performing a wide range of procedures, from minimally invasive techniques like VATS (Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery) to complex open surgeries, always aiming for the safest and most precise outcomes.

Pre- and Post-Operative Care

You’ll be fully supported before and after your operation. Our team will prepare you for surgery, manage your post-operative recovery, and provide follow-up care to promote healing and reduce the risk of complications.

Multidisciplinary Collaboration

You’re not alone in this journey. Your care is backed by a team of experts across various disciplines including oncology, respiratory medicine, and rehabilitation to ensure seamless, well-rounded care.

Common Conditions Treated by a Thoracic Surgeon

Thoracic surgeons treat a diverse range of conditions, some of the most common include:

Lung Cancer: The most common condition treated by our thoracic surgeons.
Other Thoracic Cancers & Tumours: Includes mediastinal tumours, chest wall tumours, tracheal tumours, benign lung nodules, and oesophageal & diaphragmatic tumours.
Oesophageal Conditions: Includes oesophageal cancer, benign growths, Barrett’s oesophagus, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), achalasia, and oesophageal stricture.
Tracheal & Airway Conditions: Includes tracheal stenosis, tracheoesophageal fistula, and trachea-gastric fistula.

Chest Wall Deformities: Includes pectus excavatum, pectus carinatum, and thoracic outlet syndrome.
Pleural & Lung-Related Diseases: Includes pneumothorax, pleural effusion, mesothelioma, pulmonary fibrosis, interstitial lung disease, emphysema, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Congenital & Autoimmune Conditions: Includes congenital lung malformations, cystic fibrosis, and myasthenia gravis.
Diaphragmatic & Hiatal Hernias: Includes diaphragmatic hernia and hiatal hernia.

Types of Thoracic Surgery

Advancements in surgical technology have expanded the options available in thoracic surgery, allowing for more precise, less invasive procedures with faster recovery times.

At Beacon Hospital, our thoracic surgeons are skilled with the latest surgical techniques, tailoring each approach to the patient’s condition.

Minimally Invasive Surgery

VATS – Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery

This technique uses small incisions and a thoracoscope (tiny camera) to visualise the inside of the chest, allowing precise surgical treatment without the need for a large incision. Common Procedures Performed Using VATS:

Lung Resections – including lobectomy, segmentectomy, or wedge resection for lung cancer and other lung diseases
Thymectomy – removal of the thymus gland for thymic tumours or autoimmune conditions like myasthenia gravis
Pleural Biopsy or Decortication – for pleural effusions or pleural disease
Wedge Resection of Lung Nodules – diagnostic or therapeutic removal of suspicious nodules
Non-intubated VATS – selected cases without the need for general anaesthesia and mechanical ventilation

Open Surgery

Thoracotomy

This is the traditional approach, involving a larger incision in the chest to give the surgeon direct access to the organs. It is often necessary for very large tumours or complex procedures. Common Procedures Performed via Thoracotomy:

Large Lung Tumour Resection – when minimally invasive access is not feasible
Mediastinal Tumour Removal – including large thymomas or lymphomas
Chest Wall Resection & Reconstruction – removal of tumours or damaged chest wall structures, often followed by reconstruction using titanium plates and muscle flaps
Complex Tracheal Resection & Reconstruction – for airway stenosis or tumours
Diaphragmatic Hernia Repair – in selected large or complicated cases

When Should You See a Thoracic Surgeon?

You may be referred to a thoracic surgeon by your primary care Internal Medicine physician or another specialist, such as a pulmonologist or gastroenterologist, if you have a condition that may require surgical intervention. You should consider seeing a thoracic surgeon if you experience:

A suspected or diagnosed cancer of the lung, oesophagus, or other chest organ.
Symptoms such as persistent coughing, chest pain, difficulty swallowing, or shortness of breath that have been
investigated and point to a condition requiring surgery.
An abnormal finding on a chest X-ray or CT scan, such as a lung nodule or mediastinal mass.
A severe chest injury.

Consulting with a thoracic surgeon is the best way to determine if surgery is the right treatment option for your specific condition. Our thoracic surgeons work closely with specialists in gastroenterology, oncology, radiation oncology, and other relevant disciplines to ensure that you receive comprehensive, innovative, and supportive care.

Our Specialists

Dr Benedict Dharmaraj Retna Pandian

普通外科与胸腔外科专科医生

泰米尔语, 英语, 马来语

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