Thoracic Oncology

Indeterminate Lung Nodule Clinic

Indeterminate Lung Nodule Clinic team: Dr. Britt, Dr. Battafarano and Dr. White

Improved diagnostic tests, such as CT scans of the chest, are allowing doctors to detect more lung lesions in people without any symptoms of disease. Determining whether a lung nodule is benign or malignant is often difficult, even for the most experienced radiologists. Many patients are referred to surgery too quickly, undergoing surgery unnecessarily.

Monitoring Lung Nodules Without Surgery

The Indeterminate Lung Nodule Clinic brings together a multidisciplinary team of lung disease experts to effectively monitor developments or changes of lung nodules in each patient. Our team of physicians with special expertise in disorders of the chest includes a surgeon, pulmonologist, radiologist and other specialists.

Each patient’s evaluation includes:

Baseline CT scan of the chest
Expert interpretation by chest radiologists
Examination by a thoracic surgeon and a pulmonologist
Follow-up coordination with the patient’s primary care physician

Program Benefits

Low-dose spiral computed tomography (CT) scan
Multidisciplinary care by a team of thoracic experts
Appointments within 48 hours
Careful monitoring
Consistent and coordinated appointments

Nationally Recognized Expertise

The University of Maryland Medical Center has one of the largest general thoracic surgery programs in the country. Our program was the first in the U.S. to develop and use video-assisted thoracoscopy, which allows surgeons to complete procedures through small incisions, usually made between the ribs.

For those who do need surgery, our surgical specialties include:

Thoracoscopy
Surgical resection for lung, esophageal and mediastinal malignancies
Minimally invasive surgical staging and treatment, including video-assisted thoracoscopy (VATS), laparoscopy and mediastinoscopy
Extrapleural pneumonectomy for mesothelioma

Immediate Access to Lung Disease Experts

Patients referred to the clinic will meet with a team of physicians within 48 hours of their referral, and will have a consultation and evaluation that same day.

For more information on the Indeterminate Lung Nodule Clinic, please call 410-328-6366 (patients) or 1-800-373-4111 (physicians).

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This page was last updated on: October 5, 2007.