Lung Volume Reduction Surgery (COPD)
Emphysema is a type of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) marked by an abnormal and persistent expansion of the airspaces distal to the terminal bronchioles, as well as alveolar wall damage. Dyspnea is caused by emphysema, which causes airflow restriction, hyperinflation, and the loss of gas-exchanging surfaces in the lungs (increased physiologic dead space).
Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or severe emphysema may benefit from lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS). Despite being initially described in the 1950s, it was not widespread until the 1990s, thanks to advances in surgical technique and the management of consequences. The National Emphysema Treatment Trial (NETT), a major, multidisciplinary, multicenter, randomized control trial for LVRS, was published in 2003 to investigate the efficacy of LVRS on quality of life and survival benefit compared to existing medical therapy. The results of the comprehensive NETT study lead to current eligibility criteria for LVRS patients, and it is regarded as a landmark study. Long-term LVRS results, unilateral vs. bilateral operation, cost-effectiveness, and LVRS as a bridge to lung transplant are all fields of LVRS research that are still being investigated.