Surgical Lung Volume Reduction

Emphysema is a progressive and debilitating disease associated with a high rate of morbidity and mortality as a result of respiratory failure. Medical therapy and pulmonary rehabilitation are useful palliative treatment options and can temporarily improve symptoms. However, they do not alter much the natural history of the disease. End-stage emphysema markedly limits the quality of life and survival of patients. Two surgical procedures are well established: lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) and lung transplantation (LTX). Different endoscopic procedures using endobronchial valves or airway bypasses[1–3] are novel methods showing promising short-term results, but long-term evaluation and randomised trials are necessary to evaluate these methods.