For example, thoracic surgeons take care of:
- inflammatory diseases of the lungs and pleura
- pus accumulation inside the chest (caused, for example, by pneumonia or a lung abscess)
- pneumothorax (air in the pleural cavity = gap-shaped space between the lung and the pleura)
- congenital malformations of the chest (e.g. funnel chest)
- malignant tumors in the chest cavity (e.g. lung cancer, lung metastases)
As with all surgical disciplines, treatment in thoracic surgery does not always consist of surgical intervention alone. Non-surgical (conservative) therapies are also used when necessary, such as the administration of antibiotics for pneumonia or radiation therapy for lung cancer.
