Short- and long-term results after lung volume reduction surgery

Lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) is a palliative surgical procedure for patients with severe emphysema. Resection of nonfunctional emphysematous lung tissue has been reported to relieve breathlessness and to improve quality of life for many patients by improving lung elastic recoil, respiratory muscle function, and ventilation-perfusion matching. However, the risks and benefits of LVRS remain controversial, as mainly short-term data are available for carefully selected groups of LVRS patients and no prospective, randomized trials for LVRS with pulmonary rehabilitation versus optimal medical therapy plus pulmonary rehabilitation have been reported. Bilateral staple resection for LVRS appears to be superior to use of a laser or unilateral approach in the short term, but relatively little data exist on long-term outcomes. Additional clinical investigation is required to determine whether LVRS should be a widely accepted therapy for severe emphysema.