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Thoracic Surgery is the repair of injuries and diseases of the organs or tissues in the thorax (chest). The thoracic cavity lies between the neck and the diaphragm. Included are the chest wall, lungs, heart, diaphragm, esophagus (tube that passes food to the stomach), trachea (windpipe that forms the right and left bronchus), pleura (covering that protects the lungs) and the mediastinum (area that separates the right and left lungs). General thoracic surgery deals specifically with the disorders of the lungs and esophagus, whereas cardiothoracic surgery encompasses disorders of the heart, including the pericardium, valves, coronary arteries, great vessels and myocardium.
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