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Author Spotlight: Expanding Interventional Pulmonology Research with Robotic-Assisted Bronchoscopy
Published on: July 19, 2024
Past, present, and future of endobronchial laser photoresection
Danai Khemasuwan1, Atul C Mehta1, Ko-Pen Wang1
11 Interventional Pulmonary Medicine, Intermountain Healthcare, Salt Lake City, UT, USA ; 2 Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Respiratory Institute, Buoncore Family Endowed Chair in Lung Transplantation, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USA ; 3 Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, John Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Abstract:
Laser photoresection of central airway obstruction is a useful tool for an Interventional Pulmonologist (IP). Endobronchial therapy of the malignant airway obstruction is considered as a palliative measure or a bridge therapy to the definite treatment of cancer. Several ablative therapies such as electrocautery, argon plasma coagulation (APC), cryotherapy and laser photoresection exist in the armamentarium of IP to tackle such presentations. Besides Neodymium-Yttrium, Aluminum, Garnet (Nd:YAG) laser, there are several different types of laser that have been used by the pulmonologist with different coagulative and cutting properties. This chapter focuses on the historical perspective, current status, and potentials of lasers in the management of central airway lesions.
