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Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery - General Thoracic Surgery
The thoracic team at Shands at UF focuses on surgery of the:
The team also specializes in minimally invasive procedures for treating hyperhidrosis and for emphysema. About Video-Assisted Thoracic SurgerySurgeons perform a thoractomy, or an incision in the chest, for many procedures, including removing masses in the lungs, diagnosing infections or treating repeatedly collapsed lungs. For a traditional thoractomy, the surgeon makes a long incision that starts at the back and around to the side. To see and reach the organs that need repair, removal or other work, the surgeon must move the ribs out of the way by cutting or spreading them. While sometimes necessary, this procedure can result in a long recovery time. With new video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS), surgeons are able to look inside the chest using very small incisions. camera on a tube, called a thoracoscope, is inserted. surgeon can then proceed with the surgery. Patients who have VATS can expect a much shorter recovery. About HyperhydrosisExperienced by about one percent of people, hyperhidrosis is a condition that leads to excessive sweating, either in their hands (palmer), underarms (axillary), feet (plantar) or face. Though everyone perspires more when they get nervous or excited or when they exercise, people with hyperhidrosis perspire excessively, often for no apparent reason. Though the exact cause of hyperhidrosis is uncertain today, it is the sympathetic nervous system that controls involuntary responses such as sweating, blushing and salivation. It may fail to regulate sweating in these body areas in hyperhidrosis. Consequently, sweating is so severe that it becomes a source of embarrassment and interferes with everyday activities. Treatment Non-surgical treatments for hyperhidrosis include:
While these treatments can help many people with hyperhidrosis, they do not work for everyone and their effectiveness can decrease over time. Moreover, they often don’t provide a permanent solution to the problem. A minimally invasive procedure called endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy can help. This prodcedure involves cutting and sealing a portion of the sympathetic nerve chain that runs down the back inside the chest, parallel to the spine. This operation permanently interrupts the nerve signal that is causing the body to sweat excessively. In the past, surgeons needed a long incision to reach the sympathetic chain, a major procedure with a long recovery time. The recent advances in visually-assisted endoscopic surgery allow surgeons to make just two very small incisions, one to place the videoscope and one for the surgical instruments. From there, the surgeon can locate and cut the specific nerve cells. Patients may often go home that same day and resume normal activities almost immediately. About Lung Volume Reduction SurgeryLung Volume Reduction Surgery is most often used as a treatment for emphysema. Chronic irritation of the lungs causes the lung sacks (called aveoli), to break down and form bullae, or air sacks, which trap air in the lungs, preventing the efficient gas exchange necessary for normal breathing. The distended air sacs compress the surrounding lung, further impairing its function. In Lung Volume Reduction Surgery, surgeons remove about 30 percent of the damaged lungs. By reducing the lung size, the remaining lung and surrounding muscles (intercostals and diaphragm) are able to work more efficiently and make breathing easier. InformationFor more information about Shands at UF Heart Care or to schedule a new patient appointment, please call 800.749.7424 or 352.265.0943. |
Heart Care at Shands at UFNoninvasive Cardiology and ImagingClinical Cardiac ElectrophysiologyInterventional CardiologyThoracic and Cardiovascular SurgeryPediatric Heart CareAnesthesiologyHeart and Lung TransplantMechanical Circulatory Assist Device ProgramAbout Your HeartHow it WorksImages of the HeartHeart Health - Multimedia, HealthCasts and moreAbout Heart Care at Shands at UFClinical TrialsFind a PhysicianLocations, Maps and DirectionsMake an AppointmentTo make a new patient appointment or find out more information about heart care services offered at Shands at the University of Florida, please call 352.265.0943 . You may also email our Consultation Center (consult@shands.ufl.edu) or use our secure online form. |
