Leading Edge Robotic Surgery Performed In Athens, Georgia
State-of-the-art thoracic care delivered by board-certified surgeon, Dr. Chris Malone.
Innovative Thoracic Care
Close to Home
The purpose of thoracic surgery is to treat diseased or injured organs of the chest–most often the result of lung cancer, chest trauma, or esophageal cancer.

Dr. Chris Malone is committed to providing innovative and safe alternatives to traditional open surgical procedures.
Dr. Malone performs these surgeries with unmatched precision.
For you, the benefits of minimally invasive surgery can make all the difference in your recovery.

Smaller incisions heal faster while lowering the risk of infection and shortening the length of hospital stays. You may also experience less pain and less scarring as you heal.
Using state-of-the-art robotic assisted technology like Da Vinci or video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS), Dr. Malone can perform complex and delicate procedures through small incisions.

• Thoracoscopy using VATS and/or Robotic Assisted Technology (da Vinci®)
• Lobectomy
• Pneumonectomy
• Thoracoscopic Sympathectomy
Why Should You See A Thoracic Surgeon?
If you’ve been referred to a thoracic surgeon, your primary care physician, cardiologist, pulmonologist, or gastroenterologist believes you could benefit from a surgical procedure to address a condition you're experiencing that is affecting your heart, lungs, or chest wall.
These specialists are able to diagnose disorders and prescribe medications to treat them. They may even perform some interventions, but they don’t perform open surgeries.
If it is determined you need a general thoracic surgical procedure, Dr. Malone will perform your surgery at the highly rated St. Mary’s Health Care System in Athens.
Dr. Malone performs robotic-assisted surgery as well as traditional open surgeries in the hospital environment.
Meet Dr. Chris Malone
Dr. Chris Malone is a Fellow of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery (ABTS). Being a board-certified surgeon means that Dr. Malone maintains the highest credentials, skill, and ethics of his chosen profession.

Well-known in Athens, having practiced in the area as a vascular, cardiac, and thoracic surgeon since 1994, Dr. Malone is one of the first surgeons in Georgia using the Da Vinci® Surgical System to perform state-of the-art, minimally invasive robotic-assisted surgery in the area.
Personalized Care For Every Stage Of Lung Cancer
Is Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery Right For You?
While minimally invasive surgery effectively reduces recovery time and provides the surgeon greater control, these options aren’t right for everyone.
To determine if your age, current health condition, or surgical history make you a candidate for this next generation of thoracic care or if a more traditional surgery is right for you, schedule an appointment today.
Personalized Care For
Every Stage Of Lung Cancer
At Athens Vein & Aesthetics, we’re dedicated to providing personalized care for every type and stage of lung cancer or other cancers in the chest.
The goal of your treatment plan is to give you an exceptional outcome that focuses on your quality of life while optimizing lung function.
Your care plan will take a multi-therapy approach designed around your individual diagnosis.
Treatment decisions are based on the type and stage of lung cancer you have. Small cell and non-small cell lung cancers require their own approach.
Cancers Are Assigned A Stage From 1-4 In Order Of Severity:
1
Your cancer is still confined to the lung.
2
The cancer has grown, but it hasn't spread
3
The cancer has grown larger and has possibly spread.
4
The cancer has spread to other organs of your body.
Symptoms Of Lung Cancer
- Chronic hacking, raspy coughing that sometimes presents with blood-streaked mucus
- A new cough that doesn’t go away
- Changes to a chronic cough (smoker’s cough)
- Recurring respiratory infections like bronchitis or pneumonia
- Increasing shortness of breath, wheezing, or persistent chest pain
- Hoarseness
- Swelling of the neck or face
Offering Minimally Invasive Surgical Treatment For Lung Cancer
Surgery is the preferred treatment in most cases of early stage non-small cell lung cancer. Lung cancer surgery can involve removing a small portion of your lung or the entire lung.
At Athens Vein & Aesthetics, Dr. Malone uses less invasive types of surgery whenever possible to treat patients with lung cancer. These methods provide you a recovery time that is quicker than with traditional surgery.
Your Personal
Treatment Plan
Your specific treatment plan may include the following procedures performed using robotic or thoracoscopic VATS technology:
- Wedge resection to remove a small section of the lung that contains the tumor along with a margin of healthy tissue.
- Segmental resection that allows for removal of a larger portion of the lung, but less than an entire lobe.
- Lobectomy to remove an entire lobe of the lung
- Pneumonectomy to remove the entire lung
Experience Freedom From Excessive Sweating With miraDry®
If excessive underarm sweating is causing you embarrassment, we can correct the issue in as little as one office visit. miraDry® is a revolutionary non-surgical cosmetic treatment that permanently reduces underarm sweat, odor, and hair in just three hours.
Imagine finally being free from uncomfortable sweating or spending hours searching for an effective anti-perspirant.
You’ll experience immediate results in as little as one treatment. The results are clinically proven to be long-lasting.
miraDry® is FDA-cleared, safe and effective with high patient satisfaction.

Over 100,000 miraDry® treatments have been performed worldwide.
miraDry® is for you, if you’re:
- Bothered by underarm sweat
- Tired of underarm stains in shirts
- Seeking a natural, toxin-free lifestyle
- Done with the “sticky” feeling at the end of the day
- Wanting to be free from underarm sweat
Surgical Treatment for Hyperhidrosis
If your hyperhidrosis isn't limited to your underarms or you otherwise aren't a candidate for miraDry®, there are still treatments available to address excess sweating of the hands, feet, face, or other areas.
The underlying cause of hyperhidrosis actually stems from nerves in the chest cavity or an underlying health condition.
Thoracoscopic sympathectomy is performed in an outpatient hospital setting.

Schedule a consultation to discuss all your options today.
“I went to Athens Vein & Thoracic Specialist for my Miradry treatment and I am elated with my choice. Kelly was so great before during and after the process.”
Shana G.
The best part is that miraDry® is non-invasive and most patients recover with minimal to no downtime from this quick procedure.
With miraDry® in-office treatment, you’ll enjoy:
• Dramatic reduction of underarm sweat.
• Immediate, clinically-proven, permanent results.
What To Expect On Treatment Day
1
Your provider will mark your customized treatment area.
2
Your underarms will be numbed.
3
The area will be treated with miraDry®.
To reduce your anxiety and pain, we can offer you Pro-Nox Nitrous Oxide System during your miraDry® session.
Athens Vein & Aesthetics is one of the few practices in the area offering this combination of oxygen and nitrous oxide which is effective enough to ease pain and anxiety without medication.