Chest Wall Tumors
Key Concepts Print Section Listen Epidemiology Chest wall tumors constitute 5 percent of thoracic tumors and less than 1 percent of all primary tumors; between 40 and 60 percent are…
Congenital Chest Wall Anomalies
Key Concepts Print Section Listen Epidemiology Pectus excavatum occurs in about 1:400 live births, with a male predominance of up to 5:1. No genetic abnormalities or chromosomal aberrations have been…
Diaphragmatic Disorders
Key Concepts Print Section Listen Epidemiology Bochdalek hernias are usually diagnosed in neonates whereas Morgagni hernias tend to be found in adults. Bochdalek diaphragmatic hernias occur in approximately 1:2000 children….
Lung and Heart–Lung Transplantation
Key Concepts Print Section Listen Epidemiology To date, more than 30,000 lung and 2600 heart–lung transplantations have been reported to the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplant Registry. Since…
Esophageal Cancer
Key Concepts Print Section Listen Epidemiology Esophageal adenocarcinoma is the fastest growing solid malignancy in the United States. Pathophysiology Barrett metaplasia is the precursor lesion to esophageal adenocarcinoma. Clinical feature…
Benign and Malignant Pleural Tumors
Key Concepts Print Section Listen Epidemiology Pleural tumors are a small but significant subset of thoracic malignancies. The majority of pleural tumors tend to be malignant and mesothelioma is the…
Esophageal Perforation
Key Concepts Print Section Listen Epidemiology Iatrogenic instrumentation (e.g., endoscopy, dilatation, tube passage, etc.) has replaced spontaneous rupture as the leading cause of esophageal perforation and accounts for 60 to…
Congenital Esophageal Anomalies
Key Concepts Print Section Listen Epidemiology Esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula (EA–TEF) occurs in 1 in 3400. Esophageal duplication cysts represent 10 to 15 percent of foregut duplication cysts and…
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease and Esophageal Motility Disorders
Key Concepts Print Section Listen Epidemiology Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is one of the most frequently encountered problems seen in clinical practice today. It is estimated that 60 million adults…
Mediastinal Disease
Key Concepts Print Section Listen Epidemiology Thymic tumors are the most common primary neoplasm of the anterior mediastinum, accounting for about 20 percent of anterior mediastinal masses. Their peak incidence…
