Proposed topics for this issue include: Preoperative Evaluation and Risk Assessment; Surgical Management of Benign Pulmonary Diseases; Surgical Resection for Lung Cancer in the Elderly; Benign Esophageal Diseases - Diagnosis and Treatment; Surgical Resection for Esophageal Cancer in the Elderly; Postoperative Pain Management in the Elderly; Chemotherapy in the Elderly - Induction and Adjuvant Therapy; Radiation Issues in the Elderly; Quality of Life Issues and Ethical Dilemmas in the Elderly; Areas of Future Research and Studies.

Advanced imaging technology has greatly improved the practice of thoracic surgery in the past 35 years. Among many other benefits, the advances decreased the rate of futile thoracotomy for lung cancer from more than 20% in the 1970s to the current incidence of only a few percent.? This issue of Thoracic Surgery Clinics provides updates about recent advances in imaging of thoracic diseases, and will help practicing thoracic surgeons understand how to best frame requests so that optimally useful information emerges from an examination.

Thoracic surgery has evolved substantially in recent years, with tremendous advancements in minimally invasive surgical procedures, novel techniques for sublobar resection,  perioperative management, and more. Thoracic Surgery Atlas, 2nd Edition, written by Dr. Mark K. Ferguson, brings you fully up to date with all aspects of this fast-changing field. Comprehensive and highly illustrated, this general thoracic surgery text covers procedures involving all chest organs (lungs, esophagus, trachea, mediastinum, chest wall, and diaphragm), offering authoritative guidance on virtually any thoracic operation you're likely to perform-from cancer surgery to management of a variety of benign conditions, including esophageal disorders, empyema, tracheal stricture, and much more. Includes authoritative, experience-based observations to help guide you through details of complex procedures, avoid common problems, and manage complications when they occur.  Features numerous high-quality, original color and tone drawings that depict the relevant anatomy and steps associated with each procedure.   Expands coverage to include new areas of thoracic surgery, new and updated illustrations, and new content and references throughout.  Provides new information on ERAS protocol summaries for perioperative care, consensus guidelines for essential steps in minimally invasive lung resection, new surgical approaches to mediastinal abnormalities, increased focus on VATS and robotic operations including uniportal surgery, new methods of treating thoracic outlet syndrome, new approaches to managing malignant ventricular arrhythmias through sympathectomy, more advanced techniques for pleurectomy for mesothelioma, and descriptions of a variety of newer muscle flaps for reconstruction.  An eBook version is included with purchase. The eBook allows you to access all of the text, figures, and references, with the ability to search, customize your content, make notes and highlights, and have content read aloud. 

The complexity of decision making in thoracic surgery is growing exponentially. As new technology is introduced, physicians from nonsurgical specialties offer alternative and competing therapies for what was once the exclusive province of the thoracic surgeon. In addition, there is increasing knowledge regarding the efficacy of traditional thoracic surgical therapies. How to select among these varied and complex approaches is becoming increasingly difficult. The first two editions of this book have found wide acceptance among practicing surgeons, trainees, and educators. Chapters from them are regularly cited by the Thoracic Surgery Directors Association as valuable resources for their weekly curriculum exercises. As in the first two editions, chapters adhere to a specific format (updated for the third edition). This approach provides uniformity to the presentations, making it possible to identify useful material at a glance.