Pediatric Thoracic & Airway Surgery (VATS)

Clinical Scope & Conditions Treated

Pediatric Thoracic and Airway Surgery addresses complex congenital, infectious, neoplastic, and structural conditions within the chest and tracheobronchial tree. Historically, pediatric chest operations required extensive thoracotomies, rib spreading, or splitting the breastbone (sternotomy), which caused substantial post-operative pain and potential musculoskeletal chest asymmetries. In Dr. Raghul M's surgical practice, thoracic interventions are performed via Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS) using miniature 3mm and 5mm intercostal ports and low-pressure CO2 insufflation, completely eliminating the need to spread ribs or divide the sternum. Conditions treated include empyema thoracis, CPAM/CCAM, congenital lobar emphysema, bronchogenic cysts, pectus excavatum (Nuss procedure), mediastinal tumors, and inhaled airway foreign bodies.

Congenital lung malformations like CPAM or bronchogenic cysts originate during early embryological lung branching between the 4th and 8th weeks of fetal life. They are benign developmental events, completely unrelated to anything the mother did during pregnancy. In conditions like severe empyema, pneumonia leads to localized pleural fluid collection that can trap the lung if not cleared. Using advanced 3mm keyhole thoracoscopy, the fibrinous peel is completely washed and debrided, freeing the lung to re-expand immediately without traumatic open surgery.