[Bronchoscopic interventions in severe COPD: improvement of pulmonary function, exercise capacity and quality of...

The current drug treatment of patients with severe and very severe COPD is often insufficient to achieve an acceptable quality of life. Surgical treatment of patients with COPD, by means of lung volume reduction surgery or lung transplantation is invasive and only available to a limited number of patients. Bronchoscopic lung volume reduction is a novel, minimally invasive, experimental treatment option for patients with severe COPD. Two different treatment options are currently available, depending on the type of pulmonary emphysema: bronchoscopic intervention with one-way endobronchial valves or with lung volume reduction coils. In selected patients with severe emphysema, bronchoscopic lung volume reduction brings about a clinically relevant improvement in pulmonary function, exercise capacity and quality of life. In view of the innovative and specialist nature of bronchoscopic lung volume reduction, it is prudent to perform this treatment in a centre of expertise for COPD.