URMC / Department of Surgery / Specialties / Thoracic and Foregut Surgery
Thoracic and Foregut Surgery
The story behind our Division of Thoracic & Foregut Surgery is one of synergy. Combining the skill and expertise of surgeons from two surgical subspecialties thoracic surgery and foregut surgery into a single cohesive team that works hand-in-hand to address the host of interrelated medical conditions that affect these regions of the body. The result? A faster and more accurate patient diagnosis, more insightful and effective surgical treatments, and, most importantly, more promising outcomes for our patients.
A Multidisciplinary Approach That Makes Perfect Sense
Thoracic surgery encompasses surgery on the chest wall and organs contained within the thoracic, or chest, cavity. Surgery of the foregut addresses problems in the esophagus, stomach, and proximal small intestine. Together, these organs work to prepare food and fluids for absorption by the remainder of the bowel, and to prevent reflux of gastric acid, bile, and pancreatic secretions backward into the esophagus.
Highly Skilled Surgeons Who are Comfortable Working on Both Sides of the Diaphragm
In practice, correcting a disorder of one of these organs requires restructuring or altering one or more of the other foregut organs. Consequently, we believe the surgeons working with foregut problems should not try to divide problems between those in the chest and those in the abdomen. Rather, we approach the chest and foregut as a unit, and are skilled and comfortable working on both sides of the diaphragm to correct the problems associated with a wide range of diseases.