REVIEWS  CLINICAL ADVANCES IN COPD 

Minerva Pneumologica 2007 March;46(1):35-8

Copyright © 2007 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Bronchoscopic intervention for emphysema treatment

Strausz J.

Korányi National Institute for Tb and Pulmonology Budapest, Hungary

Emphysema is a progressive chronic disease continuing to be an important cause of morbidity and mortality. Despite all of the therapeutical attempts, the disease progresses continuously resulting disability. Although a certain subset of patients with severe emphysema is candidate for lung volume reduction surgery, this procedure has also significant morbidity and mortality. There is a great interest in new innovative techniques, which achieve all benefits of lung volume reduction surgery with minimal risk. With bronchoscopic lung volume reduction, using different prostheses we are able to block the conducting bronchi of the emphysematous lung tissue resulting collapse of the affected areas (mainly the upper lobes). The technique is relatively simple, the early and the late complications are significantly lower than those of surgical intervention. However, despite all of the promising results, there are no convincing data concerning the real effectiveness of the endoscopic lung volume reduction. Results of randomized controlled trial (with control group) are not yet published.