Department of Thoracic (Chest) Surgery
Department Of Thoracic (Chest) Surgery
The Department of Thoracic Surgery at Sheba Medical Center is a leading facility dedicated entirely to the surgical treatment of the lungs, chest, and esophagus. It is separate from our Department of Cardiac Surgery. We perform more than 400 thoracic operations per year, and our surgeons are experienced in a wide range of advanced procedures, including pulmonary, esophageal, chest wall, mediastinal, diaphragmatic, and trauma surgery. Our thoracic team participates in many research programs, and physicians from around the world come regularly to train in Sheba’s department.

The Division Of Surgery At The Acute Care Hospital
The Department of Thoracic Surgery is part of Sheba Medical Center’s Division of Surgery, a state-of-the-art unit that is steadfast in the commitment to staying current with new medical technologies. Our world-class surgeons pioneer many of the latest surgical techniques. We are academically affiliated with the Sackler School of Medicine at Tel Aviv University and host rotating residents from Sheba and other hospitals. Thoracic surgeons from abroad regularly join the department for terms of two to three months. To date, we have trained surgeons from Colombia, Poland, Bulgaria, Nepal, Cyprus, and several Russian republics. Our surgeons also regularly publish scholarly articles. The mission of Sheba’s surgical division is to treat all patients with a holistic, individualized, and progressive approach.
At Sheba’s Division of Surgery:
- Our team consists of more than 250 surgeons and 500 nurses
- We have a total of 33 advanced operating rooms
- We perform approximately 23,500 procedures per year
- We provide treatment for 23,000 inpatients per year
- We care for 350,000 outpatients per year
The following departments are all housed within the Division of Surgery:
- Department of Neurosurgery >
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery >
- Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery >
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
- Department of Surgical Oncology
- Department of Thoracic Surgery
- Department of Ambulatory Surgery
- Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care
- Department of General Surgery >
- Department of Pediatric Surgery >
- Department of Cardiac Surgery >
- Hand Surgery Unit
- Department of Urology >
- Gynecological Surgery Department
- Department of Obstetrics
- Department of Vascular Surgery
- Department of Orthopedics >
- Department of Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery >
- The Goldschleger Eye Institute >
What are some treatments we perform?
Lung cancer treatment
Surgery is the gold standard to help achieve complete healing from lung tumors. The amount of lung tissue that must be removed and the specific type of resection will be determined by our skilled surgeons, depending on where the tumor is, its size, any previous chest surgeries, and the patient’s body. Surgical resections are performed as a limited resection, lobectomy, or pneumonectomy. Whenever possible, we try to use minimally invasive techniques, including video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) and VATS lobectomy, along with robotic surgery.
Esophageal cancer treatment
Our surgeons will decide on the most suitable type of surgery depending on the size and location of the tumor. Most of the time, the complex, intricate procedure must involve at least two cavities, such as the chest and the abdomen.
Types of esophageal procedures that we perform include:
- Left thoracoabdominal incision
- Ivor Lewis esophagectomy
- Transhiatal esophagectomy (Orringer approach)
- Three-hole esophagectomy (modified McKeown technique)
Surgery for Achalasia
We conduct surgeries using various techniques, including thoracotomy, thoracoscopy, and laparoscopy.
Surgery for Zenker’s diverticulum
Our surgeons are skilled at performing the minimally invasive endoscopic diverticulotomy (Dohlman procedure), which divides the septum so food can drain from the pouch to the esophagus.
Thymoma surgery
We perform surgical resections to remove the tumor.

Meet the Department Manager

Ran Kremer, MD
Meet Our Doctors

David Simansky, MD

Marina Perelman, MD
Additional related doctors

Alexander Lebedyev

David Hazzan

Barak Rosenzweig

Eytan Mor
Request a consultation
Sheba Medical Center provides innovative, personalized medical care to patients from around the world. We are the largest, most comprehensive hospital in the Middle East and dedicated to providing advanced and compassionate medicine for everyone.
We welcome all cases, including the rarest and the most challenging. Our medical teams collaborate to provide the best possible health outcomes. From your initial inquiry through the long-term follow-up care, we are here for you.
Request a consultation and a Sheba Case Manager will contact you shortly: