Norton Thoracic Institute - Dignity Health St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center - Phoenix

A liver transplant is a surgical procedure performed when a person has reached end-stage liver disease. It involves the removal of the diseased liver, which is replaced with a liver from a deceased donor or a piece of a liver from a live donor.

A kidney transplant is a surgical procedure to place a healthy kidney from a living or deceased donor into a person whose kidneys no longer function properly.

Lung cancer screenings use low-dose computed tomography to make detailed images of your lungs. The scan only takes a few minutes and is not painful.

An organ transplant is a surgical procedure in which an organ that is damaged or not functioning properly is removed and replaced by a health organ from a donor. The donor may be a deceased person or a living person. A living donor may be a relative of the organ recipient.

Kidney donors must be evaluated thoroughly and cleared to make sure they can lead a normal life post-surgery. When the kidney is removed, the single normal kidney will increase in size to compensate for the loss of the donated kidney.

During a lung transplant, surgeons remove your diseased lung and then attach a donor lung to your airway and to the blood vessels that lead to and from your heart.

A pulmonary nodule, or lung nodule, is a “spot” smaller than 2 centimeters that appears on an x-ray, CT scan, or other diagnostic imaging. Abnormalities larger than 2 cm are considered pulmonary “masses” instead of nodules. Pulmonary nodules are fairly common.

Achalasia is a rare condition that makes it hard for the esophagus to move food into the stomach. A loss of nerve cells in the esophagus causes achalasia, but the reason for this loss is unknown.

Barrett's esophagus is a potentially serious complication of GERD, which stands for gastroesophageal reflux disease.

A benign esophageal stricture is a narrowing of the esophagus that can make swallowing difficult. Benign strictures in the esophagus can be caused by a variety of injuries and diseases.

Norton Thoracic Institute (NTI) offers comprehensive diagnosis and treatment services for thoracic diseases, including lung, esophageal, and chest disorders.

Dysphagia means difficulty swallowing and that it takes more time and effort to move food or liquid to your stomach.

Norton Thoracic Institute (NTI) offers comprehensive diagnosis and treatment services for thoracic diseases, including lung, esophageal, and chest disorders.

Norton Thoracic Institute (NTI) offers comprehensive diagnosis and treatment services for thoracic diseases, including lung, esophageal, and chest disorders.

A hernia occurs when an internal body part pushes through an opening into an area of the body where it does not belong. In a hiatal hernia, part of the upper stomach bulges through the hiatus - the opening in the diaphragm between the chest and the abdomen through which the esophagus passes. There are two main types of hiatal hernias, a sliding hiatal hernia and a paraesophageal hernia.

Norton Thoracic Institute (NTI) offers comprehensive diagnosis and treatment services for thoracic diseases, including lung, esophageal, and chest disorders.

Norton Thoracic Institute (NTI) offers comprehensive diagnosis and treatment services for thoracic diseases, including lung, esophageal, and chest disorders.

Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS) is caused by the compression or “pinching” of nerves and blood vessels in the space in the lower part of the neck, above the clavicle, across the first rib, and through the upper part of the arm.

Zenker’s diverticulum is a rare condition that makes it difficult to swallow food and liquids. In this disorder, a large pouch (called a diverticulum) develops in a weak area between the pharynx (throat) and upper esophagus (the food tube that reaches from the throat to the stomach). The pouch can interfere with swallowing, and food can get trapped it. Zenker’s diverticulum is more common in older people.

Norton Thoracic Institute (NTI) offers comprehensive diagnosis and treatment services for thoracic diseases, including lung, esophageal, and chest disorders.

Lung and chest disease is any condition that affects the lungs and chest wall. There are many possible conditions that can cause lung or chest disease, such as asthma, cystic fibrosis, bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and lung cancer. Treatment will depend on the underlying condition.

Thoracic cancer is any cancer that is the result of cell mutations in the organs, glands, or tissues in the chest cavity. These mutated cells grow and multiple rapidly, crowding out and destroying healthy cells and forming a tumor. This cancer can spread to other parts of the body.

Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AAT deficiency) is an inherited condition that raises your risk for lung and liver disease. Alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) is a protein that protects the lungs.

Asthma is a condition in which your airways narrow. This can make breathing difficult and trigger coughing, a whistling sound (wheezing) when you breathe out and shortness of breath.

Norton Thoracic Institute (NTI) offers comprehensive diagnosis and treatment services for thoracic diseases, including lung, esophageal, and chest disorders.

Norton Thoracic Institute (NTI) offers comprehensive diagnosis and treatment services for thoracic diseases, including lung, esophageal, and chest disorders.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is a group of diseases that cause airflow blockage and breathing-related problems.

Cystic fibrosis is a genetically inherited disorder that affects about 30,000 people in the U.S. This disorder results from a gene mutation and is characterized by abnormal function of virtually every organ system of the body, including the pancreas, liver, digestive tract, reproductive organs, sinuses, and lungs. The abnormal function of these organ systems results from buildup of abnormally thick mucus that leads to a cycle of progressive inflammation, infection, and damage.

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a rare condition that occurs primarily in adult women. LAM is characterized by development of cysts in the lungs, accumulation of fluid around the lungs and abdominal organs, and development of abdominal tumors.

Lung cancer may originate in the lungs (primary cancer), or it may start elsewhere in the body and spread to the lungs (secondary cancer). There are two main types of lung cancer. Small cell lung cancer is a fast-growing cancer. It may be limited in nature, meaning it affects only one lung or its surrounding tissue, or it may be extensive, meaning that it has metastasized (spread) to other parts of the body. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is more common, making up about 85% of all lung cancers. When discovered in its earliest stages, NSCLC is one of the most treatable cancers.

Norton Thoracic Institute (NTI) offers comprehensive diagnosis and treatment services for thoracic diseases, including lung, esophageal, and chest disorders.

Pulmonary fibrosis is a lung disease that is characterized by damage and scarring of the lung tissue, which can be caused by things such as airborne dusts and asbestos fires, radiation treatment, medications, and certain medical conditions. This tissue becomes stiff, making it difficult for your lungs to work as they should. This results in difficulty breathing and shortness of breath.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a condition caused by high blood pressure in the arteries that carry blood from your heart to your lungs. In patients with pulmonary hypertension, the heart has to work harder to pump blood to the lungs. Over time, pulmonary hypertension can weaken the heart and, ultimately, cause heart failure. Untreated, pulmonary hypertension is almost always fatal.