Category Reference
Thoracic Procedures
4 procedures tested on the ABS Certifying Exam
Thoracic questions test the general surgeon's overlap with chest pathology: spontaneous pneumothorax, empyema and decortication, hemothorax and chest tube management, lung abscess, mediastinitis, and Boerhaave's syndrome. Knowing when to operate vs drain vs transfer to a thoracic surgeon is high-yield.
Pulmonary Lobectomy
Surgical removal of an anatomic lobe of the lung, the standard of care for stage I–II non-small cell lung cancer. The examiner expects you to stage the patient (CT chest, PET scan,…
Wedge Resection (Lung)
Non-anatomic resection of a peripheral lung lesion using surgical staplers, preserving the remainder of the lobe. Wedge resection is commonly used for diagnosis of indeterminate pu…
Decortication / Empyema Drainage
Surgical removal of the thick fibrous peel (cortex) encasing the lung in the setting of organized empyema (stage III), allowing the trapped lung to re-expand and fill the pleural s…
Chest Wall Resection
Full-thickness resection of the chest wall including ribs, intercostal muscles, and potentially the underlying pleura, performed for primary chest wall tumors or en bloc resection …
Practice Thoracic cases with an AI examiner
Talk through these procedures out loud, exam style. The AI examiner adapts to your answers and introduces complications.