What are some reasons for getting lung removal surgery?

Doctors may recommend lung removal for patients suffering from lung cancer, notes WebMD. Some conditions, such as a benign tumor, lung abscess, tuberculosis, emphysema and fungal infection, may require the removal of one of the lobes of the lungs through a procedure called lobectomy, notes Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Some lung cancer patients undergo a thoracotomy to remove all or a section of the lung, says WebMD. Types of lung surgery include wedge resection to remove the wedge-shaped part that has cancer, pneumonectomy to remove the entire lung and sleeve resection to remove a part of bronchus that is cancerous. In a lobectomy, the doctor removes the entire cancerous lobe but the lungs can function properly with the remaining lobes.