Additional Chest Procedures
Surgical Procedures Sympathectomy This is a minimally invasive surgical procedure that is done to treat hyperhidrosis. Hyperhidrosis is a condition in which a person experiences excessive sweating in their hands (palmar hyperhidrosis), underarms (axillary), face and/or feet (plantar). Everyone perspires more when they get nervous or excited or when they exercise, but people with hyperhidrosis perspire excessively, often for no apparent reason. The sympathectomy procedure is done through an endoscope and is often referred to as Endoscopic Thoracic Sympathectomy or ETS. This surgery involves cauterizing (cutting) or clamping a portion of the sympathetic nerve chain responsible for sending signals to the sweat glands in the upper limbs and face. The difference between cutting versus clipping methods is in the cutting method the sympathetic nerve is cut, in the clipping method clips are applied on the nerve. Both methods result in an interruption of the stimulus causing the excessive sweating and both have the same side effects of compensatory sweating, however the clipping method has the added advantage of possible reversibility should the side effects be untolerable. Both methods are performed by the surgeons here at University Hospital. Most patients leave the hospital the same day of the surgery and resume normal activity within a few days. Thymectomy This is a surgical procedure done to remove part or all of the thymus gland. It is frequently performed in conjunction with medical therapy for myasthenia gravis or a thymoma. The thymus gland is located in the upper chest under the breastbone. It is composed of small lobes and is shaped somewhat like a butterfly wing over the windpipe. Hormones produced by the thymus gland are thought to affect the immune system and neuromuscular transmission although its exact role in Myasthenia Gravis is not completely understood. A thymectomy may be performed in one of two ways, the transsternal approach or the transcervical approach. Your surgeon will discuss with you which approach would be best. Mediastinal resections This is a surgical procedure done to resect or remove tumors in the mediastinum. The mediastinum is the area between the right and left pleural cavities(where the lungs are) and contains the heart, great vessels, lower esophagus and trachea, multiple lymph nodes and thymus gland. Types of tumors that may occur here include lymphomas (Hodgkin's and Non-hodgkin's), germ cell, mesenchymal and neural tumors. Referral to the Thoracic Oncology Program may be warranted in some cases. Pectus Excavatum This is a surgical procedure done to correct a deformity in the breastbone. The extent of the procedure will vary depending on the extent of the deformity and any effects it may have on underlying chest structures such as the heart, trachea esophagus or lungs. Pectus deformities are one of the most common congenital chest wall deformities and are more popularly known as "funnel chest or sunken chest" (pectus excavatum) and "pigeon chest" (pectus carinatum). | 
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