A bronchoscopy is performed to diagnose problems or remove tissue or a growth in the throat, larynx, trachea and lower airways. The procedure is performed using a small camera at the end of a very thin scope (called a bronchoscope) that is threaded into your throat. During the procedure, patients are sedated so they are not bothered by the bronchoscope.

Decortation is the peeling, or removal, of the outside of the lung and drainage is the removal of any accumulation of fluid.

The lungs are divided into various sections, called lobes. When disease is present, surgery to removes lobe of the lung is performed. This is called a lobectomy. During a segmental lobectomy, only part of the lobe is removed and during a bi-lobectomy, more than one lobe is removed. Your doctor will discuss your specific disease state and surgical options with you.

A median sternotomy is an operation in which the surgeon makes an incision in a vertical line down the sternum (breast bone) providing access to the heart and lungs. Sometimes, a smaller incision, called a Partial Median Sternotomy, can be used to access the necessary part of the body.

A mediastinoscopy is a surgical procedure in which your doctor examines the inside of your best between and in front of your lungs. The procedure is done under general anesthesia and requires only a small incision either above the breastbone or on the left side of the chest, next to the breast bone.

Myotomy refers to surgically dividing a muscle.

The pericardium is the protective sack around the heart. A pericardial window is created when a surgeon cuts a whole in the pericardium to remove excess fluid from the sack.

During a pericardiectomy operation, part or all of the pericardium is removed because it is either placing too much pressure on the heart or has become infected or disease.

A pneumonectomy is surgery to remove an entire lung and is usually performed in a cancer patient in hopes of preventing the cancer from spreading.

Tamponade refers to stopping the flow of blood from a vessel by applying pressure.

Thoracic sympathectomy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure performed under anesthesia to cure hyperhydrosis. The operation involves burning, cutting or clamping the nerve ganglia responsible for the excessive sweating.

A thoracotomy is an incision made during surgery on the left or right side of the chest, in between the ribs to access the heart or lungs during surgery.

Tracheo-broncial resection - is a procedure where the trachea (wind pipe) and the bronchus (intervates the lung) are divided and reconnected to remove disease or tumor.

A resection is the removal of tissue in order to examine it for disease. A wedge resection refers specifically to the removal if tissue in the same of a wedge, or triangle. Resections of the lung are done this way to allow a cross sample of tissue to be examined under a microscope.