Bronchoscopic Lung Volume Reduction For Pulmonary Emphysema: Preliminary Experience With Endobronchial Occluder

[The use of bronchial occlusion test in a preterm infant with severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia complicated by severe lobar emphysema]

In infants with severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (sBPD), severe pulmonary lobar emphysema may occur as a complication, contributing to significant impairment in ventilation. Clinical management of these infants is extremely challenging and some may require lobectomy to improve ventilation. However, prior to the lobectomy, it is very difficult to assess whether the remaining lung parenchyma would be able to sustain adequate ventilation postoperatively. In addition, preoperative planning and perioperative management are also quite challenging in these patients. This paper reports the utility of selective bronchial occlusion in assessing the safety and efficacy of lobectomy in a case of sBPD complicated by severe right upper lobar emphysema. Since infants with sBPD already have poor lung development and significant lung injury, lobectomy should be viewed as a non-traditional therapy and be carried out with extreme caution. Selective bronchial occlusion test can be an effective tool in assessing the risks and benefits of lobectomy in cases with sBPD and lobar emphysema. However, given the technical difficulty, successful application of this technique requires close collaboration of an experienced interdisciplinary team.

Endobronchial valves for emphysema and persistent air-leak: 10-year experience in an Asian country

BACKGROUND

Endobronchial valve (EBV) therapy, a validated method for bronchoscopic lung volume reduction (BLVR) in severe emphysema, has been explored for persistent air-leak (PAL) management. However, its effectiveness and safety in the Asian population require further real-world evaluation. In this study, we assessed the outcomes of treatment with EBV within this demographic.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective analysis of medical records from 11 Korean centers. For the emphysema cohort, inclusion criteria were patients diagnosed with emphysema who underwent bronchoscopy intended for BLVR. We assessed these patients for clinical outcomes of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. All patients with PAL who underwent treatment with EBV were included. We identified the underlying causes of PAL and evaluated clinical outcomes after the procedure.

RESULTS

The severe emphysema cohort comprised 192 patients with an average age of 70.3 years, and 95.8% of them were men. Ultimately, 137 underwent treatment with EBV. Three months after the procedure, the BLVR group demonstrated a significant improvement in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (+160 mL vs. +30 mL; P = 0.009). Radiographic evidence of lung volume reduction 6 months after BLVR was significantly associated with improved survival (adjusted hazard ratio 0.020; 95% confidence interval 0.038-0.650; P = 0.010). Although pneumothorax was more common in the BLVR group (18.9% vs. 3.8%; P = 0.018), death was higher in the no-BLVR group (38.5% vs. 54.5%, P = 0.001), whereas other adverse events were comparable between the groups. Within the subset of 18 patients with PAL, the predominant causes of air-leak included spontaneous secondary pneumothorax (44.0%), parapneumonic effusion/empyema (22.2%), and post-lung resection surgery (16.7%). Following the treatment, the majority (77.8%) successfully had their chest tubes removed. Post-procedural complications were minimal, with two incidences of hemoptysis and one of empyema, all of which were effectively managed.

CONCLUSIONS

Treatment with EBV provides substantial clinical benefits in the management of emphysema and PAL in the Asian population, suggesting a favorable outcome for this therapeutic approach.

Early Trends in Bronchoscopic Lung Volume Reduction: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Efficacy Parameters

INTRODUCTION

The goal of our systematic review and meta-analysis is to examine the therapeutic effectiveness of bronchoscopic lung volume reduction (BLVR), and to compare it with medical management and lung volume reduction surgery.

METHODS

Variables of interest were absolute change in FEV1, 6MWT, and SGRQ. Meta-analysis was performed for the BLVR modalities with ≥3 trials. Of the 18 shortlisted publications, only valves (four trials; n = 159) and coils (six trials; n = 194) qualified for meta-analysis. To avoid redundant reporting for valves, only the data for intact fissure subjects were analyzed. Outcome data are presented as the mean difference from baseline with 95% confidence interval at 6-months follow-up.

RESULTS

For BLVR using valves, the pooled mean difference (PMD) for FEV1 was 0.146 L (95% CI 0.111-0.181; p < 0.001), 6MWT was 45.225 meters (95% CI 26.954-63.495; p < 0.001), and SGRQ was -8.825 points (95% CI -14.824 to -2.825; p = 0.004). All the PMDs were statistically significant and higher than their respective minimal clinically important difference (MCID). For BLVR using coils, the PMD for FEV1 was 0.080 L (95% CI 0.057-0.104; p < 0.001), 6MWT was 45.320 meters (95% CI 28.040-62.600; p < 0.001), and SGRQ was -10.570 points (95% CI -13.299 to -7.841; p < 0.001). All three variables showed statistically significant PMDs but that for FEV1 was smaller than the MCID. Data from BLVR modalities with <3 major publications are reviewed in the discussion section.

CONCLUSIONS

BLVR offers early promise in the palliation of advanced emphysema. Better characterization of patients to identify phenotypes that will derive sustained benefit is needed.

Modern methods for endoscopic treatment of obstructive pulmonary diseases

BACKGROUND

Despite modern medicine's greatest efforts, many patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma remain refractory to the best treatments available. Bronchoscopy is increasingly being used to explore new approaches for treating these diseases, and several new techniques have recently shown encouraging results. The purpose of this review will be to shed some light on these methods.

METHODS

We searched Pubmed and Embase for English language articles from 1995 to September 2014, as well as ongoing trials on ClinicalTrials.gov. The following prespecified terms were used to search for clinical trials and case reports from the past 20 years: "endoscopic treatment of COPD", "endobronchial valve", and "bronchial thermoplasty".

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

In search for new COPD treatments, several trials have assessed the efficacy of one-way valves and other conceptually similar techniques including biological sealants and thermal vapor ablation. These methods all operate within a similar paradigm where the intention is to maximize ventilation of the remaining healthy parts of the lung, and to minimize the use and the space occupied by the diseased lung tissue. Similarly, a new non-pharmacologic therapeutic approach in asthma, bronchial thermoplasty (BT), was recently approved for use in the United States for adults with severe disease. The goal is to reduce the mass of hypertrophied smooth muscle in the bronchi to decrease bronchoconstriction.

CONCLUSION

Both BT and the bronchoscopic treatments for COPD have shown promising results in recent studies, suggesting the onset of a new direction in obstructive lung disease treatment.

The Saudi Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of COPD

The Saudi Thoracic Society (STS) launched the Saudi Initiative for Chronic Airway Diseases (SICAD) to develop a guideline for the diagnosis and management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This guideline is primarily aimed for internists and general practitioners. Though there is scanty epidemiological data related to COPD, the SICAD panel believes that COPD prevalence is increasing in Saudi Arabia due to increasing prevalence of tobacco smoking among men and women. To overcome the issue of underutilization of spirometry for diagnosing COPD, handheld spirometry is recommended to screen individuals at risk for COPD. A unique feature about this guideline is the simplified practical approach to classify COPD into three classes based on the symptoms as per COPD Assessment Test (CAT) and the risk of exacerbations and hospitalization. Those patients with low risk of exacerbation (<2 in the past year) can be classified as either Class I when they have less symptoms (CAT < 10) or Class II when they have more symptoms (CAT ≥ 10). High-risk COPD patients, as manifested with ≥2 exacerbation or hospitalization in the past year irrespective of the baseline symptoms, are classified as Class III. Class I and II patients require bronchodilators for symptom relief, while Class III patients are recommended to use medications that reduce the risks of exacerbations. The guideline recommends screening for co-morbidities and suggests a comprehensive management approach including pulmonary rehabilitation for those with a CAT score ≥10. The article also discusses the diagnosis and management of acute exacerbations in COPD.