Part 1: endoscopy, bronchoscopy and oesophagoscopy; mediastinoscopy and staging; thoracic incisions; right-sided pulmonary resections; left-sided pulmonary resections; pneumonectomy; bronchoplastic resections; pulmonary resection - limited resections, segmentectomy; tracheal resection and reconstruction; video-assisted thoracic surgery; resection of anterior mediastinal tumors; resection of posterior mediastinal tumors; anti-reflux procedures; transhiatal oesophagectomy; thoracic approaches to oesophagectomy; surgery for achalasia and other modality disorders; excision of oesophageal diverticula; lung transplantation; thoracic outlet syndromes; surgical resections of the chest wall including the sternum; the diaphragm; the thoracic duct and the management of chylothorax; pericardial procedures; surgical treatment of malignant mesothelioma; mediastinal lymph node dissection; surgical management of empyema; resection of superior sulcus tumors; surgery of pulmonary mycobacterial disease. Part 2: general considerations - cardiopulmonary bypass, myocardial protection, cardiothoracic surgical databases; acquired valvular heart disease - mitral valve repair - ischaemic, mitral valve repair - myxomatous/rheumatic, mitral valve replacement, reoperative mitral replacement, tricuspid valve, aortic valve replacement - prosthesis, aortic valve replacement - homograft, aortic valve - Ross porcedure, venous versus arterial conduits; ventricular fibrillation ischaemic heart disease - coronary bypass - hypothermic, the atherosclerotic aorta; ischaemic heart disease - coronary bypass - the bad ventricle, coronary artery bypass - reoperation, left ventricular aneurysm - ventricular remodelling, left ventricular aneurysm - linear closure, ventricular septal defect; thoracic aorta disease - annuloaortic ectasia, acute aortic dissection, resection of aortic arch aneurysms using hypothermic circulatory arrest, acute traumatic aortic transection, repair of chronic thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms; transplantation - heart failure, domino heart-lung transplantation with bronchial artery revascularization, ventricular assist, the maze III procedure for atrial fibrillation, rational strategies in surgical therapy of malignant ventricular tachyarrhythmias; arrhythmias - pacemakers; other cardiac - cardiac tumors, cardiomyoplasty, minimally invasive coronary artery bypass grafting. Part 3: anatomy and classification of congenital heart disease; imaging modalities for congenital heart disease/echocardiographic evaluation; haemodynamic assessment and transcatheter therapy for congenital heart disease; palliative operations for congenital heart disease; anomalies of systemic venous drainage; patent ductus arteriosus; vascular rings, slings and other arch anomalies; atrial septal defects; ventricular septal defects; aortopulmonary window; coarctation of the aorta; interrupted aortic arch complex; left ventricular outflow tract obstruction. (Part contents)