Interdisciplinary surgery of the thorax - from the general surgeon's point of view

Interdisciplinary professional management is the most important basic principle for successfully mastering thoracic operations including the thoracic wall and adjacent regions such as neck, axilla, mediastinal vessels, upper limb,and spine, Extended oncological resection in advanced malignant diseases, side-effects of radiotherapy and trauma explain the diversity of possible operative procedures. For technical success, the necessity of vascular grafting, reconstruction of the brachial plexus, spine surgery, cardiac surgery, plastic thoracic wall reconstruction, stabilization of the thoracic wall, modern equipment, and know-how are mandatory. We chose some show-cases which - in our opinion - might be appropriate for demonstrating interdisciplinary therapy management. Functional, oncological, and cosmetic/reconstructive aspects should be considered when approaching these cases.