The General and Thoracic Surgery Unit is located on the third floor (New area of the hospital) of the Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute.

Introduced on 23th October 2023 as part of the Department "Orthopaedic-Traumatological Specialist Pathologies", it follows the activities of the Surgical Structure already in existence in the Institute since 2001.

The Structure includes:

• Department of Hospitalization;
• Day Hospital Medical and Surgical;
• Divisional Medical Clinic for specialist visits (first visits, post-operative checks, follow-up of oncological patients).

Clinical practice

The activity of the General and Thoracic Surgery Unit, responds to the programmed needs of specialized thoracic  surgical performance resulting from the recent progress of today’s orthopedics and oncology of bone tumors and soft tissue. 
Based on the experience gained, the surgical activity carried out mainly concerns:

• Pulmonary resections with removal of pulmonary metastases from bone sarcomas and soft parts, realized both with classical technique and with modern minimally invasive video-assisted thoracic surgery technologies;
• Removal of sarcomas of the bone and of the primary, recurrent and secondary soft parts of the chest wall, with particular reference to primary tumors of the sternum;
• Removal of benign masses/neoformations of the thoracic and abdominal wall (costal fibrous dysplasia, lipomas, costal aneurysm cysts, aggressive fibromatosis, elastofibromas, etc.);
• Surgical treatment of congenital and acquired rib cage malformations such as thoracic exostosis, also with minimally invasive video-assisted thoracic surgery technique.

The General and Thoracic Surgery Unit collaborates closely with Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology for histological diagnosis by echo biopsy or CT-scanof possible malignancy of musculoskeletal interest.
Collaborates daily with the 3rd Orthopaedic and Traumatologic Clinic prevalently Oncologic and with the Osteoncology, Bone and Soft Tissue Sarcomas and Innovative Therapies, in the multidisciplinary management of complex oncological cases of patients with primitive bone neoplasms and lung metastases. In this context, the team members actively participate in the two weekly multidisciplinary meetings dedicated to sarcomas.

Surgical activity in multiteams

The Structure operates in multi surgical teams aimed at carrying out complex interventions within:

• Anterior access to the spine, both for oncological pathologies and for degenerative pathologies also with minimally invasive video-assisted thoracic surgery;
• Accesses to the sternum-claveare joint and more generally to the clavicle or upper thoracic strait for orthopaedic stabilization procedures or for resections and reconstructions in case of neoplastic pathologies;
• Anterior accesses to the pelvis (the latter in collaboration with the Food Tract Surgery and Urgencies of the S.Orsola-Malpighi Polyclinic) for oncological, malformative, post-traumatic pathology.

Research activity

The clinical research activity of the Structure presents a large historical, concerning clinical research carried out mainly in the field of surgical treatment of lung metastases from bone sarcoma and/or soft parts. The Structure has always distinguished itself in the field of research and surgical innovation: in 2018 a "custom-made" titanium sternal prosthesis designed with a 3D printer was implanted here for the first time in Italy.

The staff of the actively participates in both national and international research projects aimed at improving the diagnosis and treatment of patients with sarcoma. The clinical research activity is supported by dedicated staff at the Clinical Studies Office.
The members of the Structure team belong to the most prestigious research companies in the field of National and International Thoracic Surgery (STS - SICT). 

The Structure is tradiotionally inserted in the subjects of the School of Specialization in Orthopaedics and Traumatology of the University of Bologna; is also affiliated with the School of Specialization in Thoracic Surgery of the University of Bologna and periodically welcomes Doctors in Specialized Training for internship and research periods agreed.

Current fields of interest and research

• Development of minimally invasive technologies for the treatment of neoplasms of the chest wall;
• Development of new technologies for the surgical and conservative treatment of acquired chest wall deformities (Pectus excavatum, Pectus carinatum, Poland Syndrome) also through collaborations with international reference centers;
• Continued use of the 3D printer in custom prostheses for chest wall reconstruction;
• Development of minimally invasive technologies for the treatment of spinal pathologies in multiple teams;
• Analysis of the results of surgical treatment of pulmonary metastases from bone and soft tissue sarcomas, including S.Ewing; 
• Analysis of the results of surgical treatment of primary and secondary tumors of the chest wall;
• Upper Thoracic Narrow Syndrome;
• Benign thoracic joint pathology of rheumatic interest of possible surgical interest.