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Thoracic surgery
Diagnostics and treatments including surgery for problems inside your chest, including conditions of the lungs, diaphragm and chest wall
Private thoracic surgery with Circle Health Group
If you need treatment from a thoracic surgeon and want access to an experienced specialist without the wait, our consultants are here to help. With 50+ locations across the country, you’re never far from your local Circle Hospital, where you’ll get consultant-led, personalised care as standard. We offer clinical excellence in a calm and peaceful environment, and our multidisciplinary teams are truly committed to personal and compassionate care.
Some of the most common conditions our thoracic surgeons treat include lung cancer, other lung conditions including collapsed lung, damage or injury to the chest wall, and hyperhidrosis. We use the latest techniques and equipment to treat a wide variety of thoracic diseases, from acute conditions to ongoing concerns.
Call or book online today and you could see a consultant thoracic surgeon in as little as 48 hours.
What is thoracic surgery?
Thoracic surgery is the area of medicine focused on problems within your chest cavity – excluding your heart. The name comes from the word ‘thorax’, which is another word for your chest.
Thoracic specialists perform surgery on the lungs as well as other organs within the chest and the chest wall itself. Many conditions affecting your lungs and chest cavity can be medically treated and managed, however some are always best treated with surgery, while others eventually progress to a stage that needs surgery. In these instances, you will be referred to a thoracic surgeon.
People often think of thoracic surgeons as lung surgeons, and certainly they perform a lot of lung procedures. But thoracic surgeons also perform surgery on the trachea, diaphragm, chest wall, and the area between your lungs, which is called the mediastinum. Our surgeons use both open and minimally invasive (keyhole and robotic) surgical approaches, depending on which is most suitable for the individual situation.
Paying for thoracic surgery
Thoracic surgery is a broad speciality covering many different procedures. The cost of your treatment will depend on which type of surgery you are having as well as the hospital and consultant you choose. Many of our individual treatment pages include guide prices, and you can also call our team and request a tailored quote for a specific procedure.
You can access private thoracic surgery with us using private medical insurance or by paying for your own treatment.
Often thoracic surgery will be covered by your private health insurance, but not always. Speak to your provider directly to see what's covered in your policy.
If you want to pay for your own treatment, you can either pay in full or take advantage of our flexible payment options, which allow you to spread the cost over a period of up to five years.
Our self-pay customers benefit from fixed-price packages, meaning you'll know exactly what you're going to pay before you book your surgery. Your initial consultation and early diagnostic tests won't be included, but the cost of your surgery and hospital fees are, and so is your aftercare programme. There are no hidden costs down the line.
Common conditions treated using thoracic surgery
Some of the conditions our thoracic surgeons treat most commonly include:
Collapsed lung
Medically known as pneumothorax, a collapsed lung happens when air leaks into the space between your lung and your chest wall, putting pressure on your lung and eventually causing it to collapse. This can happen with no apparent cause, or it can be caused by an injury, or brought on by lung disease.
Severe emphysema
Emphysema is a type of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It’s a progressive condition, usually caused by long-term smoking, which damages a part of your lung called the alveoli, making it difficult to breathe. Stage 3 (severe) and stage 4 (very severe) forms of emphysema may require intervention.
Diaphragm problems
Diaphragm elevation, diaphragm paralysis and diaphragm eventration are all conditions that can interfere with normal breathing and may need surgical correction.
Chest wall problems
Your chest wall is a complex structure that acts as a protective cage for vital organs including your heart and lungs. If you suffer an injury to your chest wall, for example a broken rib, or if you are experiencing pain in the chest wall and don’t know why, you might be referred to a thoracic surgeon.
Hyperhidrosis
Hyperhidrosis is a condition causing excessive sweating. This can occur on your palms, underarms, hands, face and body. You may also experience extreme facial flushing (temporary reddening of your face). The nerves that control your sweat glands in your face, hands and arms are found in the thorax. An intervention on these nerves may improve the sweating symptoms.
Lung cancer
Our consultant thoracic surgeons treat both primary lung cancer and metastatic cancer (cancer that has spread from another organ) in the lungs.
What types of thoracic surgery are available with Circle Health Group?
Our thoracic surgeons offer a wide variety of surgical procedures to treat problems in your chest cavity. Below are some of the most common, but this list is very brief. If you don’t see the procedure you are interested in listed here, give us a call and we’ll be able to help you find a consultant that offers it.
Pneumothorax surgery
If you have a persistent, recurrent or severe collapsed lung, pneumothorax surgery is a procedure to correct this by removing damaged tissue from your lungs and sealing your lung to your chest wall to prevent future collapses. It is often done using minimally invasive (keyhole) surgery, which you might hear referred to as VATS (video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery).
Lung volume reduction
In lung volume reduction endoscopic and surgery, the most damaged parts of your lung are surgically removed or endoscopically excluded, allowing the healthy parts of the lung to work better. This is commonly used as a treatment for severe emphysema.
Diaphragm plication
This surgery treats conditions including diaphragm eventration and diaphragm paralysis by strengthening and repositioning the diaphragm. This should allow you to breathe better, and reduce symptoms like shortness of breath and chest tightness.
Rib fixation
With displaced rib fractures, you may need surgery to stabilise your bones using titanium plates and/or screws. Our surgeons can also support you with pain management if you are dealing with broken ribs.
Thoracic sympathectomy
A thoracic sympathectomy is a surgical procedure to cut, clamp or cauterise your thoracic nerves, which are found inside your thorax. This is most commonly done to stop excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis). The procedure can also be used to treat facial flushing and some types of cardiac arrhythmias (irregular heartbeat) that are caused by problems with the same nerves.
Lung resection
Lung resection is an operation to remove part of your lung. It’s most commonly used to treat lung cancer, or some severe lung infections. There are different types of lung resection, including lobectomy, segmentectomy and wedge resection.
Metastasectomy
Lung metastases, also known as pulmonary metastases, are secondary cancerous tumours. This means the cancer started elsewhere in the body and has spread to the lungs. Surgical removal of these secondary tumours is called a metastasectomy.
Thymectomy
A thymectomy is surgery to remove the thymus gland, which is located behind the breastbone. This is done to treat thymoma, which is a rare form of cancer, found in the thymus gland. Thymectomy can also be performed in benign conditions such as myasthenia gravis and other thymic lesions.
Pericardial window (pericardial fenestration)
This is a minimally invasive type of surgery used to treat pericardial effusion, which is where excess fluid accumulates in the sac surrounding the heart.
Pleural biopsy and drainage
Pleural biopsy and drainage is a relatively quick procedure used to remove fluid buildup in your chest and to take tissue samples too. These can be sent for analysis where there is suspected cancer or infection.
How to book thoracic surgery with Circle Health Group
The first step is usually an initial consultation. Unless your GP or insurer has told you otherwise, you should book your first appointment with one of our thoracic surgeons. You can do this by calling our dedicated team of friendly advisors, or by taking advantage of our easy online booking system.
Why choose Circle Health Group for thoracic surgery?
When you choose to go private with Circle Health Group, you can expect:
- Flexible appointment times and locations to fit your routine
- The freedom to choose which hospital and consultant suit your needs
- Personalised, consultant-led treatment plans tailored to your individual needs
- Comfortable and safe private facilities maintained by expert multidisciplinary teams
- Private ensuite rooms as standard and delicious healthy meals
- Transparent, fixed-price packages with aftercare included
- Flexible payment options to help you spread the cost of your care
If you would like to learn more about thoracic surgery, book your appointment online today or call a member of our team directly.
Clinical sources and further reading
- Thoracic surgery, City of Hope
- What is thoracic surgery?, European Society of Thoracic Surgeons
- Thoracic surgery, Cleveland Clinic
- Lung volume reduction (LVR), Asthma + Lung UK
