Thoracic Surgery in Israel — Operations of Any Complexity

Professor Oz Shapira

Head of the Cardiothoracic Department of the clinic

Thoracic surgery in Israeli clinics is one of the most sought-after fields. Doctors perform operations of any complexity to treat a wide range of diseases of the heart, lungs, and mediastinal pathologies. Every year, a large number of foreign patients seek Israeli specialists for procedures such as coronary artery bypass grafting, heart valve implantation or reconstruction, lung tumour removal, etc.

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890

diagnoses made in the CIS were found to be incorrect

1024

patients cured with conservative methods

1456

successfully performed minimally invasive operations

Table of Contents

Methods

Diagnosis

Prices

Chest operations in Israel are performed using the most modern and high-tech approaches. The Top Ihilov Medical Center features hybrid operating rooms, the latest models of operating tomographs, minimally invasive thoracoscopic and video-assisted surgeries, as well as widely used robotic surgical systems.

Current Techniques

Thoracic surgery in Israeli clinics is one of the most advanced fields of medicine. Here, you have the opportunity to undergo safe and effective surgeries.

Conventional Open Interventions

Israeli specialists are known as some of the best surgeons in the world who perform open interventions on the organs of the thoracic cavity. Many of these interventions are performed using thoracotomy or sternotomy. In the first case, the incision is made along the ribs, and in the second — along the sternum. These types of access allow the surgeon to have a good view and freedom of movement; they are used in performing classical types of coronary artery bypass grafting (especially in cases where significant stenosis is present in several major arteries), treating congenital heart defects, and removing tumours of the lungs and mediastinum.

Thoracoscopy

Although conventional types of surgeries are highly effective, they carry some risks for the patient. Minimizing risks and shortening the patient's rehabilitation time is made possible by thoracoscopic surgeries. During these procedures, a large incision is not made; all necessary surgical instruments are introduced through an incision just over a centimeter in size. Intraoperative tomography and endoscopic equipment help control the course of the operation. A flexible thin tube equipped with a miniature video camera is introduced into the surgical area, through which the surgeon monitors the operation. Based on the data from the tomograph and the video camera, the doctor performs the necessary surgical manipulations.

After such operations, patients recover much faster and require fewer painkillers during the rehabilitation phase. Thoracoscopic interventions can be performed for treating pleural, mediastinal, esophageal pathologies, and resection of parts of the lungs affected by cancerous lymph nodes.

Thoracoscopic coronary artery bypass grafting, performed on a beating heart, is very popular among foreign patients. While the surgeon performs myocardial revascularization, the heart continues to work. This eliminates the risk of complications typical of surgeries using artificial respiration and circulation machines (such as memory problems and increased risk of heart attack).

Video-Assisted Interventions

This type of surgery lies at the intersection of classical and thoracoscopic surgery. In this case, the intervention is partially performed using standard surgical instruments introduced through an additional incision, and partially using thoracoscopic methods.

Robot-Assisted Surgeries

One of the most modern trends is the use of robotic surgical systems. At the Top Ihilov center, the da Vinci surgical robot is widely used — a state-of-the-art system that allows for surgical manipulations with precision down to tenths of a millimeter. In these surgeries, thoracoscopic access is used — the robot's manipulators introduce instruments into the body through a small one-centimeter port incision. Using robotic surgery technologies, operations for myocardial revascularization, mitral valve reconstruction, pacemaker implantation, and more are performed.

Modern Diagnosis

Israeli clinics widely use modern types of research, allowing for a diagnosis to be established in the shortest possible time — typically, a patient spends only three to four days undergoing diagnostics. The diagnostic program may include various types of studies.

• Electrocardiography.
• Echo-cardiography.
• Magnetic resonance or computed tomography.
• X-ray.
• Ultrasound.
• Thoracoscopy.
• Holter monitoring.
• Exercise testing.

Upon completion of the examination, a group of doctors convenes in a council to collectively determine the final diagnosis and select the optimal type of surgical treatment.

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Advantages of Our Clinic

• In Israeli clinics, and particularly at the Top Ihilov Medical Center, specialists with exceptionally high qualifications work. Each thoracic surgeon undergoes extensive training, specializing for a year or more in their chosen field at major foreign clinics, constantly improving their skills.
• Patient examinations are conducted using a full range of modern and accurate diagnostic methods — this allows for the determination of the individual clinical picture, rapid diagnosis, and selection of the optimal surgical treatment strategy.
• Israeli doctors perform surgeries of any complexity, actively using modern types of thoracic surgery — interventions on a beating heart, thoracoscopy, robotic surgery. Here, you have the opportunity to take advantage of the latest achievements in world medicine.

At all stages, you will receive support from a dedicated staff member of the clinic's international department — they will translate your medical documents, coordinate with doctors, and assist you with everyday issues. If desired, during the diagnostic period or post-operative rehabilitation, they can even organize excursions for you.