Surgical treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Over the past several decades, a number of surgical techniques have been developed for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Many of these procedures have been abandoned because of lack of efficacy and/or high morbidity and mortality. At the present time, lung transplantation, reduction pneumoplasty for giant bullous emphysema, and lung volume reduction surgery are being performed in a number of centers. Data concerning the effectiveness of these procedures is accumulating and will ultimately need careful analysis to determine long-term outcomes in this group of patients.