What type of tests/procedures help diagnose and treat

•Chest X-rays and CT scans provide valuable information on what your chest structures look like.

•PET scans help identify body tissues that are metabolically overactive, such as infection, cancer, and inflammation.

•Pulmonary function tests (PFT) help determine how well your lungs are working and can help guide treatment.

•Biopsies, whether done in the Radiology department (FNA, CT-guided), endoscopy area or operating room, tell what kind of tissue is present and whether or not it is cancerous, infectious, or inflammatory.

•Bronchoscopy is done with a narrow scope and allows your doctor to see what your breathing tubes look like.

•Mediatinoscopy is an operation done through a short incision at the top of the breast bone and allows your doctor to look at and biopsy the lymph nodes in the middle part of yourchest.

•Mediastinotomy is an operation that allows your doctor to remove growths and lymph nodes from the middle part of your chest.

•Thoracoscopy is an operation that is done with a camera through an incision in the patient's side and allows the doctor to see what the lungs and middle part of your chest look like. Often times, the necessary surgery can be performed via this approach. This is considered minimally invasive surgery.

•Thoracotomy is an operation that involves a larger incision that allows the doctor to do more extensive surgery.