Endoscopic lung volume reduction an american perspective

There are limited therapies for severe emphysema. Bronchoscopic treatments of emphysemawere introduced to achieve the beneficial physiological changes seen in surgical lung volume reduction; however, at the present time these treatments are mostly aimed at improving quality of life and functional status in patients with emphysema. At this time, none of these minimally invasive approaches have been approved in the United States for treatment of emphysema; however, several novel interventions have demonstrated potential in early-phase clinical trials. We performed a systematic evaluation of the relevant medical literature and present herein an evidence-based review of bronchoscopic treatments for emphysema, with a focus on the current status of this technology in the United States as compared with Europe.