The Allegheny Center for Lung and Thoracic Disease
General Information



Diseases of the chest are among the most common ailments affecting adult Americans today. Here in western Pennsylvania, lung and esophageal diseases are particularly prominent health-care problems. The Allegheny Center for Lung and Thoracic Disease is designed to provide comprehensive, innovative clinical services specifically directed toward a wide range of problems affecting the lungs, mediastinum, and the esophagus. Because the center unites and coordinates the services of specialists in respiratory diseases, thoracic surgery, medical oncology and radiation oncology into one program, the center offers patients with thoracic diseases one of the most accessible and proficient programs of care available in the country.

Particular focus upon the diagnosis and management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (emphysema, asthma and bronchitis), interstitial and environmental lung diseases, and sleep-related breathing disorders are provided by the pulmonary specialists dedicated to the center. Thoracic surgeons of the center work closely with these pulmonologists to evaluate patients with these disorders who may benefit from lung transplantation or lung volume reduction surgery specifically directed toward patients with pulmonary emphysema. The center's pulmonary medical and thoracic surgical team also work closely with the medical and radiation oncology specialists to provide state-of-the-art, comprehensive treatment for patients with lung and esophageal cancer. Furthermore, the management of benign diseases of the esophagus, such as gastroesophageal reflux and disorders of esophageal motility (i.e., achalasia), are also focused upon by the center's physician team.

Patient education and after-care planning are important aspects of any thoracic disease management program. The center's physicians work together with dedicated nursing staff, dietitians, cardiopulmonary physiotherapists and social workers to provide their patients with educational and rehabilitative programs aimed at restoring and maintaining the greatest quality of life and control (or cure) of their underlying thoracic disease.

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