Dynamic hyperinflation after bronchial lung volume reduction: An expected effect or perhaps a preoperative test for selection?

Introduction In our center we have treated with bronchial valves (Zephyr model) 35 patients suffering from advanced emphysema, with variable results. This is a preliminary report that refers to 14 patients who were studied for the presence of dynamic hyperinflation, evaluating the inspiratory capacity (IC) before and at the end of a submaximal effort (ΔIC). Methods After assessing the whole group we analyzed two different subgroups on the basis of dynamic hyperinflation. Group1 included 10 patients with dynamic hyperinflation (ΔIC reduced>10%); group2 included 4 patients without dynamic hyperinflation (ΔIC reduced Results at 6 month are in the tables Conclusion The dynamic hyperinflation seems reduced after BLVR in the whole group (ΔIC from -24% to -19%; (Table 1), but this data is not statistically significant; interestingly 10 patients in group 1 seem to have better results compared to 4 patients in group 2; in particular they have a better improvement of RV and ΔIC (Table 2). These preliminary data seem to propose dynamic hyperinflation as one of selection criteria for BLVR. A larger group of patients need to be examined to verify these data.