Our Operations
We are specialists in the following areas:
Patients with lung cancer comprise the largest group of patients seen by our surgeons not only for treatment by removal of their tumour but also for diagnostic, therapeutic and palliative care. The team work closely with colleagues in Respiratory Medicine, Radiology, Oncology and Specialist Nursing to appropriately select patients who can benefit from surgery.
Minimally-invasive thoracic surgery was pioneered in Liverpool and has become part of the routine approach. The vast majority of thoracic operations are now undertaken this way here at LHCH. Small incisions are advised to help improve recovery times for patients following surgery. There are two different options available for this surgery: video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) and robotic assisted surgery.
VATS is performed with the help of small operating telescopes which often give an excellent view and is known as keyhole.
In robotic-assisted surgery a thoracic surgeon will sit at a console next to the patient in the operating room and control the instruments, including a camera, on the robotic surgical system. A small 3D high definition camera is placed through one of the small incisions to provide a good view of the inside of the chest cavity, while wristed robotic instruments are inserted through the other small incisions made in between the ribs.
Procedures for pneumothorax treatment, lung biopsy and sympathectomy for hyperhidrosis and facial flushing are normally carried out via a minimally invasive approach. Additionally, we now offer a full range of advanced thoracoscopic techniques including minimally invasive lobectomy (surgery to remove lung cancer) and are now one of the largest volume centres in the UK for this procedure.
You can read more here about our robotic-assisted lung programme which was launched at the hospital in 2018.
LHCH is a super regional centre for chest wall surgery. This includes cancer resections for lung cancer, primary chest wall tumours, secondary tumours to the chest wall and post-pneumonectomy empyema.
We have experience of different systems for chest wall stabilisation and reconstruction after surgery.
The thoracic surgery team is a specialist airway team for Cheshire, Merseyside and the Isle of Man. We have a long-standing interest in surgery of the airway, and successfully perform tracheal resections and have treated some cases of trachea-oesophageal fistula. There is a comprehensive endobronchial airway service which is offered jointly by surgeons and physicians and we are able to offer cryotherapy, endobronchial resection, flexible and rigid bronchoscopy, and stenting.
In addition to the treatment of primary lung cancer, some patients are treated for secondary lung malignancies (metastatectomy). Excellent links are in place with colorectal (colon), hepatic (liver), breast surgeons and other specialists to treat these diseases.
Some people with mestastases to the chest may benefit from resection of these tumors. Each case is very carefully assessed by a range of multidisciplinary staff to allow the best decision to be made for the patient.
The Trust is a regional centre for the treatment of thoracic sarcoma. This is a rare cancer affecting the tissues that connect, support and surround other body structures and organs. We work with oncologists who also have a specialist interest in this area, again with the aim of getting the best results.
Our surgeons and specialists are working together to find treatments to control and cure patients suffering from malignant mesothelioma. This disease is increasing in incidence worldwide and particularly here on Merseyside with its legacy of asbestos exposure from the ship building industry.
Our thoracic surgeons provide an on-call chest trauma service cover in the event of an emergency. We work closely with the emergency department at Aintree Hospital where the major trauma centre is for the region.