Department of Thoracic Surgery - Hospital Nordwest Frankfurt am Main

About the Department of Thoracic Surgery at Hospital Nordwest Frankfurt am Main

The Department of Thoracic Surgery at the Hospital Nordwest Frankfurt am Main offers all the options of modern medicine for the surgical treatment of diseases of the lungs and other respiratory organs. The team of the department's surgeons specializes in minimally invasive thoracic interventions, surgery to remove lung metastases, including with a laser, as well as in palliative surgery. The primary focus of the department's clinical practice is the surgical treatment of lung cancer and the removal of lung metastases, the surgical treatment of malignant tumors of the mediastinal organs, chest wall and pleura. It should be noted that the department is certified as the Lung Cancer Center by the German Cancer Society. The department successfully performs surgery to correct pectus excavatum and pectus carinatum, surgery for benign neoplasms and infectious diseases of the respiratory organs. The patients are provided not only with impeccable medical services, but also with responsive care. The Chief Physician of the department is Dr. med. Stefanie Veit.

The department's specialists keep pace with innovations, so minimally invasive surgery is the standard of surgical treatment here. The operating rooms of the medical facility have state-of-the-art equipment, which allows the doctors to perform video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery even in particularly complex clinical cases. The main advantage of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is that there is no need for thoracotomy, which is inevitable in case of classic open surgery. When performing sparring interventions on the thoracic organs, surgeons make only 2-3 small skin incisions with 1-2 cm in size, through which they deliver a miniature camera and special surgical instruments to the pathological focus. The image of the operating field is displayed on a large screen with multiple zooming, so the surgeon can clearly see the tiniest anatomical structures. Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery allows the doctors to avoid trauma to healthy tissues and, accordingly, contribute to the rapid recovery of the patient after the operation. The team of the department's thoracic surgeons treats most tumors of the respiratory organs using the innovative VATS surgical technique. It is noteworthy that the extensive clinical experience of the doctors allows them to perform video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery even to resect tumors at the advanced stages. The department's specialists also successfully perform lobectomy (removal of a lung lobe) using VATS.

As a certified Lung Cancer Center of the German Cancer Society, the department is distinguished by its particular competence in lung cancer treatment. When admitted to the department, a patient with suspected lung cancer undergoes comprehensive diagnostics, including endoscopic and imaging tests, pulmonary function tests and other necessary diagnostic procedures. If the diagnostic results confirm the presence of a malignant lung tumor, then thoracic surgeons jointly with pulmonologists, oncologists and radiation therapists begin to elaborate the most effective treatment regimen. The tasks of thoracic surgeons include the selection of the optimal type of a surgical procedure for tumor resection. Depending on the particular clinical case, the surgical treatment can be complemented by chemotherapy, radiation therapy, combined chemoradiation therapy, immunotherapy using checkpoint inhibitors and other therapeutic options. Respiratory therapy is used as a supportive measure. During the entire therapeutic process, the patients are supported by psychologists, since most of them are unable to cope with an emotional shock on their own and set themselves up for a favorable treatment outcome.

The department's range of medical services includes:

• Surgical treatment of lung cancer (small cell and non-small cell lung cancer)
  • Lobectomy (removal of a lobe of the lung)
  • Bilobectomy (removal of two lobes of the lung)
  • Pneumonectomy (total removal of the lung)
  • Surgery to remove ribs and parts of the diaphragm
  • Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery
  • Chemotherapy and radiation therapy (in collaboration with highly specialized experts)
• Surgical treatment of malignant tumors of the mediastinal organs, chest wall and pleura
• Surgical treatment of lung metastases, including laser surgery
  • Lateral thoracotomy
  • Median sternotomy
  • Lymph node removal surgery
  • Video-assisted thoracic surgery
• Surgical treatment of mediastinal diseases (for example, thymoma, lymphoma, germ cell tumors)
  • Video-assisted thoracic surgery
• Surgical treatment of chest wall tumors
  • Video-assisted thoracic surgery
• Palliative surgery (for example, pleurodesis, long-term pleural drainage, stent implantation, laser therapy, cryotherapy)
• Surgical treatment of infectious diseases (for example, pleural empyema, lung abscess, chronic infectious diseases with the destruction of lung tissue)
• Surgical treatment of benign diseases of the lungs, mediastinal organs and chest wall (for example, hamartomas, bronchiectasis, pulmonary emphysema, lung cysts, pulmonary sequestration)
• Surgical treatment of tracheal diseases (for example, tracheal stenosis, tracheal tumors)
• Surgical treatment of thoracic injuries (for example, hemothorax, rib fractures)
  • Video-assisted thoracic surgery
• Surgical treatment of pneumothorax
  • Video-assisted thoracic surgery
• Surgical treatment of pectus excavatum and pectus carinatum
  • Minimally invasive surgery
• Surgical treatment of hyperhidrosis
  • Video-assisted thoracic surgery
• Surgical treatment of other diseases of the respiratory system